Etihad Airways named CAPA Airline of the Year

MANILA, Philippines - Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates which operates two flights daily between Abu Dhabi and Manila, has been named CAPA Airline of the Year at the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence 2014 held in Antwerp, Belgium.

The CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence, the world’s pre-eminent aviation strategy awards, are for strategic leadership in the aviation industry. The Airline of the Year award is given to the carrier which has had the greatest impact on the development of the global airline industry, as a strategic leader and by setting a benchmark for others to follow.

Peter Harbison, executive chairman of CAPA, who presented the award to Etihad Airways said: “The efficiency of the aviation industry is strangled by archaic ownership and control rules that prevent cross border mergers and rationalization of airline offerings. More than any other factor this has effectively confined the industry to drastic financial underperformance.

“Faced with this roadblock, no single full service airline has done more than Etihad Airways to challenge the status quo with its remarkable strategic partnership model,” he added.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer, said: “In a new world of aviation partnerships, Etihad Airways is at the strategic vanguard of equity relationships, as a growing number of airlines – notably in Asia – line up to emulate the success of this truly original model.

“We are delighted to be named Airline of the Year at the 2014 CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence. It is not only a great honor but also a powerful endorsement of the Etihad Airways business model,” he added.

Etihad Airways uses Boeing 777-300 aircraft with 28 seats in Business Class and 384 in Economy Class in its two daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Manila.