Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has reported double-digit growth in passenger and cargo volumes during the first half of 2014, marking its strongest ever performance for the six-month period, with total revenues increasing to US$3.2 billion.

A total of 6.7 million passengers travelled with the airline between January and June this year, almost 22 per cent higher than the 5.5 million passengers in the same period last year.

Etihad Cargo also outperformed the global market, carrying 268,713 tonnes of freight and mail during the first half of 2014, up 25 per cent year-on-year, and contributing significantly to the airline's total revenue. It remains on track to become a billion dollar business in 2014.

The impressive performance was supported by Etihad Airways ' continued growth in the second quarter of 2014, with 3.5 million passengers and 140,892 tonnes of freight and mail carried over the three-month period, both up 25 per cent on the same period last year.

Organic growth was supported by codeshare and equity alliance partnerships in the first half of 2014, delivering an estimated 1.4 million passengers onto Etihad Airways flights (+28 per cent year-on-year) and contributing revenue of US$471 million, which represented 23 per cent of the airline's passenger revenue. In the second quarter alone, a new codeshare agreement was signed with GOL and existing codeshares were expanded with partners such as Jet Airways, airberlin, Air Serbia, Air France and South African Airways, while 754,050 passengers were delivered onto Etihad Airways flights (+32 per cent year-on-year), contributing revenue of US$247 million.

Etihad Airways ' passenger carrying capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), was 39.4 billion by the end of H1 2014, an increase of 19 per cent year-on-year. The airline's fleet also expanded to 102 aircraft, with seven aircraft delivered in the second quarter alone.

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