Etihad Airways Unveiled its New Airbus A350-1000

On a special first commercial flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris, Etihad Airways unveiled its new Airbus A350-1000, registration A6-XWB. The aircraft is the first A350 to be operated by a UAE airline, and it is the first of five A350s that Etihad plans to add to its fleet in the coming months.

Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, expressed his thoughts as follows: “The Airbus A350 is an absolutely incredible aircraft, and we are proud to introduce it into the Etihad Airways network today. Our teams have worked closely together to craft a product and travel proposition that will ensure every journey with Etihad is a choice well made – both for our guests and for the planet. With highly efficient fuel consumption and CO2 savings, the A350 will support our goals to reduce carbon emissions and deliver an unmatched flight experience for our guests.”

President of Airbus Africa and the Middle East, Mikail Houari, said: “Etihad Airways has been a long-standing partner of Airbus in the UAE and we are excited to continue our collaboration. The A350-1000 is setting new standards of air travel, offering unrivaled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 percent reduction in fuel burn and emissions. This marks the start of a promising new chapter for the UAE’s aviation sector, led by innovation and a commitment to sustainability. We look forward to many more years of partnership and working together to support Etihad Airways expand its network through our most technologically advanced and efficient aircraft.”

The aircraft, dubbed Sustainability50, has a one-of-a-kind livery in honor of the UAE’s 50th anniversary of federation and Etihad’s ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. As part of a campaign aimed at decarbonizing aviation, it will join the airline’s industry-leading sustainability initiative.

The Sustainability50 program, which began in 2021 as a partnership between Etihad, Airbus, and Rolls Royce, will use Etihad’s A350s as flying testbeds for new initiatives, procedures, and technologies to reduce carbon emissions, building on Etihad’s previous Greenliner program for the Boeing B787 aircraft type.

The Airbus A350, powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB, is one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft in the world, burning 25% less fuel and emitting 25% less CO2 than previous-generation dual aisle aircraft.

Etihad and Airbus have formed a formal framework to collaborate on sustainability in a number of sectors, including the promotion and commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel, waste and weight management, and data-driven analysis.

“We designed our sustainability programme as a vehicle for collaboration, and our strategic partnership with Airbus allows us to harness the sustainability credentials of the A350 through the Sustainability50 programme, as we work towards our joint objectives to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment,” said Douglas.