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Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, this week visited the United States, leading a delegation of senior airline executives at a series of government and commercial meetings in Washington, D.C.
The meetings took place in the same week that Etihad Airways announced a firm order for up to 56 Boeing wide-body aircraft, with options and purchase rights for a further 26 aircraft, as well as 127 GE Aviation engines, representing an investment of up to US$ 25.2 billion.
Mr Hogan said: “Trade ties between the US and the UAE have never been stronger and Etihad Airways is proud to play a key role in strengthening these relations as well as providing significant support to the US economy through investments in the US aerospace industry.
“Supporting both commercial ties and tourism to the US, Etihad Airways has carried nearly two million passengers between Abu Dhabi and its destinations in the US in the last eight years. With the addition of flights to Los Angeles in 2014, as well as other cities still to be announced, the relationship and investment with the US and US companies will certainly deepen further.”
In addition to Boeing and GE, Etihad Airways’ investments in the United States also include a US$ 1 billion deal with the travel technology provider, Sabre which recently activated a new IT platform upon which the airline’s entire passenger services system which will operate for the next 10 years.
Other Etihad Airways’ partners include Zodiac Aerospace, which has been awarded contracts worth US$ 170 million for aircraft seating, as well as Honeywell US, which has a contract for US$ 40 million to provide avionics equipment.
Mr Hogan said: “Etihad Airways’ orders with US companies are valued at more than US$ 40 billion and translate into a direct impact on America’s gross domestic product and support for major employment throughout the aerospace supply chain.”
To support its operations in the US, Etihad Airways directly employs nearly 100 members of staff, with the figure set to rise in the future as the airline launches flights to new destinations and builds depth into its current operations.
Los Angeles will be Etihad Airways’ fourth US destination when it starts in June 2014, joining Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., and will see the airline provide 28 return flights each week between the UAE and US.
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