UAE Etihad Air H1 revenue up 59 pct on traffic rise

UAE Etihad Air H1 revenue up 59 pct on traffic rise

The airline served 3.3 million passengers, up 11 percent from last year.

July 20, 2010 3:09 by Reuters

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said on Tuesday its cargo revenue grew 59 percent in the first half of 2010 as increased traffic pushed up passenger figures 11 percent.

The airline carried 3.3 million passengers in the period, recording a 72.5 percent seat factor, while cargo tonnage increased 22 percent from a year earlier, it said in a statement.

Revenue passenger kilometres was up 22.6 percent over the same period last year.

Revenue figures were not released.

“Despite the continuing economic challenges faced by all airlines, our investment in infrastructure and in our service offer is paying off,” CEO James Hogan said in the statement.

The airline will operate a total of 1,032 flights a week this summer, a 16 per cent rise from a year earlier.

“With this continued improvement in our passenger and cargo traffic, particularly in the premium cabins, we are confident of meeting our targets,” Hogan said.

Etihad, wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi government, currently flies to 64 destinations.

(Reporting by Stanley Carvalho; editing by Firouz Sedarat)