Abu Dhabi-based airline to buy five Boeing 777s

Seattle Post-Intelligencer 09/11/04
author: James Wallace
(Copyright 2004)

Recent visitors to London's Heathrow Airport might have noticed the large outdoor billboard near one of the terminals advertising an airline they probably never heard of and whose name they can't pronounce.

But upstart Etihad Airways is making a lot of noise in the Middle East, where oil revenue is helping fuel some very large aircraft purchases.

Yesterday, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier announced that it will buy five long-range 777-300ER jets from Boeing -- more than $1 billion worth of planes at the list price.

Sometimes it is hard to understand how some airlines can thrive and others have issues, but the new airlines don't have the legacy costs of the old companies. Some also have better managment of their companies - newer, fresher, type corporate environments. Etihad Airways falls under the category of the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates.