Etihad Airlines Essay

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Etihad Airways: The National Airline of the United Arab Emirates In the early 1970s, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, formed a union with the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, prepared a constitution, then call the rulers of the other five emirates to a meeting and offer them the opportunity to join. It was also agreed between the two that the constitution be written by December 2, 1971. On that date, at the Dubai Guesthouse Palace, four other emirates agreed to enter into a union called the United Arab Emirates. The seventh emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, joined later in early 1972. In 2003, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, envisioned his country needed a national airline to promote and sustain the country. Like most countries, the leaders of the United Arab Emirates knew that it was very important to have an airline that represented the country and would be able to promote travel to their country for business and tourism alike. A royal decree from Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan gave birth to Etihad Airways in July 2003. The word "Etihad" is Arabic for "united", a symbolic title for the UAE’s national airline. The initial start-up capital for Etihad Airways was $136.3 million and had a fleet of two Airbus A330-223 aircraft. Services were launched with a ceremonial flight to Al Ain, U.A.E. on 5 November 2003. On 12 November 2003, Etihad commenced commercial operations with the launch of services to Beirut, Lebanon and has gone on to become the fastest growing airline in the history of commercial aviation. Currently, Etihad Airways has a fleet of 66 Airbus and Boeing aircraft operating just over 1,000 flights per week, serving an international network of 84 destinations in 52 countries. These include Abu Dhabi, Alexandria, Almaty, Astana, Athens, Amman, Baghdad, Bahrain,
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