NEW DELHI: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad will increase products and services to India, which it describes as certainly one of its largest markets. Unlike different bilateral-constrained emirates or nations, Abu Dhabi is but to make use of about 10,000 of its weekly entitlement of fifty,000 seats to India. It will deploy extra flights to ten towns right here over the following one to 3 years, it stated. Antonaldo Neveswho took over as Etihad Aviation Group CEO final October when the emirate transferred its possession to wealth fund ADQ.
The Salvador-born Neves additionally does not see the approaching Tata Group Air India or IndiGo as “threats”. “The Indian market is big enough for all of us. What is a challenge to the industry is not competition but unavailability of aircraft and trained personnel (something being witnessed majorly post Covid),” stated Neves who was once prior to now CEO of Portugal’s TAP; president of Brazil’s Azul Airlines and a spouse at McKinsey.
Before the pandemic, Etihad used to have a fleet of 100 planes and operated 160 weekly flights to India. During Covid it needed to downsize and these days has 70 plane, with this quantity going to upward thrust to 80 ahead of the year-end. “We now operate more flights to India than before at 180 weekly, along with Air Arabia Abu Dhabi that is owned by us. We still have about 10,000 weekly seats available and are mounting flights like adding flights to Delhi and Mumbai and starting new ones to Kolkata. The growth here will continue as we will use up our bilaterals in the next one to three years,” he said.
Etihad, which burnt its fingers in India by investing about $530 million in Jet Airways and its frequent flyer program a decade back, has no plans of picking up stake in another airline here as of now. “For the moment the focus is on responsible organic growth and to create a financially strong airline. We are inducting new aircraft. So for now investing in an Indian carrier is not being looked at. But three years down the line, who knows,” Neves said.
The CEO plans to capitalize on the US pre-clearance facility at Abu Dhabi in a big way to attract Indian customers, among other things. “When you fly to the US with Etihad, your immigration and customs check happens in Abu Dhabi. You arrive in the US as a domestic traveler. This is a big plus.
The group has worked out a three-pronged plan to revamp Etihad in the next seven years. These include improving the customer experience. “We are now offering free WhatsApp to guests on our aircraft that have onboard WiFi.
Etihad is now offering one-price unlimited onboard WiFi for prices starting at $9. We are bringing back our Airbus A380 for a short period of 4-5 years in which we expect to get our new planes like Dreamliners and Airbus A350s with brand new interiors,” Neves stated. The different two methods are to toughen efficiencies around the board and having the “best team in the region”.
Just how necessary the India marketplace is for Etihad is obvious from the truth that the brand new CEO’s first media interactions have took place within the nation right through his ongoing discuss with right here. “We have giant plans for Etihad and our visitors. Through our customer-centric way, we can differentiate ourselves from the others.”
The Salvador-born Neves additionally does not see the approaching Tata Group Air India or IndiGo as “threats”. “The Indian market is big enough for all of us. What is a challenge to the industry is not competition but unavailability of aircraft and trained personnel (something being witnessed majorly post Covid),” stated Neves who was once prior to now CEO of Portugal’s TAP; president of Brazil’s Azul Airlines and a spouse at McKinsey.
Before the pandemic, Etihad used to have a fleet of 100 planes and operated 160 weekly flights to India. During Covid it needed to downsize and these days has 70 plane, with this quantity going to upward thrust to 80 ahead of the year-end. “We now operate more flights to India than before at 180 weekly, along with Air Arabia Abu Dhabi that is owned by us. We still have about 10,000 weekly seats available and are mounting flights like adding flights to Delhi and Mumbai and starting new ones to Kolkata. The growth here will continue as we will use up our bilaterals in the next one to three years,” he said.
Etihad, which burnt its fingers in India by investing about $530 million in Jet Airways and its frequent flyer program a decade back, has no plans of picking up stake in another airline here as of now. “For the moment the focus is on responsible organic growth and to create a financially strong airline. We are inducting new aircraft. So for now investing in an Indian carrier is not being looked at. But three years down the line, who knows,” Neves said.
The CEO plans to capitalize on the US pre-clearance facility at Abu Dhabi in a big way to attract Indian customers, among other things. “When you fly to the US with Etihad, your immigration and customs check happens in Abu Dhabi. You arrive in the US as a domestic traveler. This is a big plus.
The group has worked out a three-pronged plan to revamp Etihad in the next seven years. These include improving the customer experience. “We are now offering free WhatsApp to guests on our aircraft that have onboard WiFi.
Etihad is now offering one-price unlimited onboard WiFi for prices starting at $9. We are bringing back our Airbus A380 for a short period of 4-5 years in which we expect to get our new planes like Dreamliners and Airbus A350s with brand new interiors,” Neves stated. The different two methods are to toughen efficiencies around the board and having the “best team in the region”.
Just how necessary the India marketplace is for Etihad is obvious from the truth that the brand new CEO’s first media interactions have took place within the nation right through his ongoing discuss with right here. “We have giant plans for Etihad and our visitors. Through our customer-centric way, we can differentiate ourselves from the others.”