DUBAI (Reuters) -Etihad Airways has placed an order for 15 A330-900s aircraft from Airbus, its CEO said on Tuesday, adding the plane to its wide-body fleet as it expands to meet ambitious growth targets.
The Abu Dhabi carrier is buying six A330-900s and nine will be leased from Dublin-based lessor Avolon, CEO Antonoaldo Neves said at the Dubai Airshow.
“With this (order), we have the capacity to get to 200 planes,” Neves said speaking of the overall size of the fleet.
The company had previously said it would target 170 aircraft by 2030.
Etihad is also purchasing seven Airbus A350-1000s, bringing its total for the type to 27 planes, as well as three A350F aircraft.
Neves did not disclose the financial details of the order.
Speaking with reporters, Neves emphasised the importance of the Airbus A330neo as a critical aircraft for the airline, providing flexibility in route management.
(Reporting by Federico Maccioni and Ahmed Elimam; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Susan Fenton and Joe Bavier)
