Etihad Airways announces order for up to 117 Airbus aircraft and 113 Trent XWB engines

Etihad Airways announced a firm order for 87 Airbus aircraft, plus purchase rights for a further 30, to support the global expansion of its operations. The order represents an investment of up to $26.9bn at list prices, including related engines. The firm order, unveiled at the Dubai Air Show, includes 50 Airbus A350 XWB and 36 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, together with one Airbus A330-200F freighter. The aircraft will be used to launch flights to new destinations around the world, add more capacity in established markets and progressively replace existing, less-efficient aircraft. Etihad Airways also announced an order for 113 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines to power 50 new Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and two Trent 700 engines for an Airbus A330-200 freighter. The order includes 102 engines fitted onto the aircraft, 13 spare engines and long-term TotalCare support services. Delivery of the aircraft is scheduled to commence from 2020. Furthermore, Etihad signed an order with CFM International for 52 LEAP-1A engines to power 26 new Airbus A321neo aircraft. The order includes a 15-year Rate Per Flight Hour (RPFH) agreement, under which CFM International will guarantee maintenance costs on a dollar per engine flight hour basis.