Etihad celebrates 15th anniversary with night at the museum

By Alexandra Coulton

Eithad Airways celebrated 15 years since its first flight on Thursday night, with the launch of its new Choose Well brand platform.

The airline marked the occasion with a birthday celebration at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, complete with a treasure hunt through the museum exhibits and a cinematic preview of the brand’s new campaign.

Needless to say, the event had our stamp of approval as soon as Etihad general manager for Australia and NZ, Sarah Built announced that there would be cake.

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Etihad began their journey on the 5th of November 2003 with a single Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which performed a symbolic flight to the emirate of Abu Dhabi’s historic city of Al Ain.

Regular commercial flights then launched on 12 November from Abu Dhabi to the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Etihad’s inaugural flight to Sydney, Australia, departed on 26 March in 2007 from Abu Dhabi, seeing Australia become one of the airline’s most important global markets. Etihad_15 Years 7

The airline now operates a next-generation fleet of over 100 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, flying to 84 passenger and cargo destinations across 55 countries.

Since its launch, Etihad has operated over 840,000 passenger flights and has carried 139 million guests, served by a dedicated workforce of over 22,000 talented individuals from over 150 countries.

“We are tremendously proud of Etihad’s achievements in just 15 years,” Built said.

“In this short time, we have emerged as a highly respected airline brand, known for leading the way through innovation underpinned by Arabian hospitality.

“Australia is one of our most important markets, and we’re committed to deliver excellence for our local guests.”

The anniversary coincides with the introduction of Etihad’s new brand platform, Choose Well, redefining its guest proposition to empower travellers to choose what they want, when they want.

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The inspiration behind the brand platform was taken from the founder of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the choices he made to develop his nation and his people.

Passengers departing from Australia will soon enjoy reconfigured Economy Space seats with increased pitch of up to 36 inches. Other introductions include a neighbour-free seating option in Economy and an enhanced dining experience with quality ‘buy-onboard’ products.

“We are moving away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach and have introduced a range of unbundled products so that guests can curate every aspect of their experience. Whether they choose to fly First, Business or Economy class, we passionately believe the power is with the guest to decide what products are right for them.

“It would not be possible to reach this point without the invaluable loyalty and support of our customers, corporate and travel trade partners. Now, we are looking to the future with renewed vigour and vitality,” Built concluded.

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15th birthday etihad