Transport Etihad Airways carries 36% more passengers on a growing fleet By Pramod Kumar June 13, 2024, 5:05 AM Etihad Etihad's operating fleet size increased to 90 in May 2024, up from 75 a year ago Etihad Airways, one of the UAE’s two flag carriers, reported a 36 percent year on year rise in passengers in May 2024 thanks to its fleet expansion strategy. The airline transported 1.5 million passengers last month, up from 1.1 million in the same month in 2023. The number of destinations rose from 63 to 68 and its operating fleet size increased from 75 to 90 in May. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week The increase in passenger numbers reflects a strong positive growth trajectory, said CEO Antonoaldo Neves. “Our year-to-date passenger count has reached 7.2 million, meaning we’ve already welcomed two million more passengers this year than the same period of 2023.” Despite a one percentage point decrease in the passenger load factor to 84 percent, Neves said that the year-to-date load factor remains robust, even with a significant increase in capacity. Etihad’s rolling 12-month passenger numbers surpassed 16 million by the end of May 2024. Lunch with Frank Kane: ‘Cut me in half, I’m still Etihad’ Etihad and China Eastern forge new network alliance Groundwork to begin soon on Dubai’s $35bn airport Additionally, the airline introduced the first of the six A321neos expected in 2024 into operation. “These aircraft further boost our growing network and frequencies and deliver a 20 percent fuel burn and CO2 emissions advantage, underling our commitment to more efficient aircraft,” the CEO said.