Etihad Airways orders 50 A350s, 30 A320neo-family and one A330F
Etihad Airways ordered (17-Nov-2013) 40 A350-900s, 10 A350-1000s, 26 A321neos, 10 A320neos and one A330-200F. The airline also secured purchase rights for an additional 30 Airbus aircraft. The A330-200F will be delivered in 2017, the A320neos and A321neos are scheduled for delivery from 2018 and A350 deliveries will commence in 2020. The airline ordered 113 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines to power the A350s, 52 CFM International LEAP-1A engines for the A321neos and two Rolls-Royce Trent 700s for the A330-200F. The Rolls-Royce order includes long-term TotalCare support and the CFM engine order includes a 15-year rate per flight hour agreement, under which CFM International will guarantee maintenance costs on a dollar per engine flight hour basis. The orders, including engines, represent an investment of up to USD26.9 billion at list prices. The carrier intends to use the aircraft to commence new services, add capacity in existing markets and replace existing, less-efficient aircraft. The airline will also be able to redirect orders to members of its equity alliance, allowing capacity to be allocated where required, improving fleet commonality and sharing cost synergies. Etihad Airways president and CEO James Hogan said, "Etihad Airways prides itself on operating modern, state-of-the-art and highly efficient aircraft, with the Airbus A320 family at the heart of our narrow-body fleet...The Airbus A350 XWB will play a fundamental role in the next phase of our international growth strategy." Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Brégier said, "We are delighted that Etihad Airways has consistently maintained its confidence in the full range of Airbus' modern aircraft family...We look forward to seeing Etihad benefit from the unbeatable economics and best-in-class comfort all our aircraft offer, ensuring the continued success of Etihad Airways as a leading airline for the years to come." [more - original PR - Etihad Airways] [more - original PR - Etihad Airways 2] [more - original PR - Airbus] [more - original PR - Rolls-Royce] [more - original PR - Rolls-Royce 2] [more - original PR - CFM] [more - original PR - CFM 2]