Etihad Airways to retrofit B777s, B787s amid delivery delays

Aircraft manufacturer delivery delays will result in Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) spending up to USD1 billion on cabin retrofits on around 50 aircraft, CEO Antonoaldo Neves has told Bloomberg.

The B787 and B777 fleets will get the cabin upgrades first, he said. According to ch-aviation fleets data, Etihad operates ten B787-10s, thirty-three B787-9s, and nine B777-300ERs. After that, the carrier will look at retrofitting the remainder of its widebodies except for its A380-800s. Currently, its only other widebody types are A350-1000s, of which it has five with a further 15 on order.

Etihad hopes to grow its fleet from its current 102 aircraft to around 150 within five years. Its orderbook includes one A320-200N, twenty A321-200NX(LR)s, fifteen A350-1000s, seven A350Fs, eight B777-8s, seventeen B777-9s, twenty B787-10s, and eight B787-9s. Recently, ch-aviation reported that Etihad was in "exploratory talks" with both Airbus and Boeing about a new large widebody order.

"We’re going to retrofit even the planes that don’t need a retrofit, but we believe it’s important for the airline to have consistency across the fleet," Neves said. The refurbs are part of the carrier's five-year USD7 billion investment plan that includes new aircraft, network changes, and new routes.

The retrofit programme will start towards the end of 2025, a delay Neves attributes to supply chain issues, particularly procuring business class seats and toilets. However, the entire aircraft cabin will be overhauled and include high-speed internet and a new inflight entertainment system.

The announcement about the retrofits came in the same week that Etihad confirmed after-tax earnings of AED1.4 billion dirhams (USD380 million) for the nine months to September 30, 2024, a 66% increase on the comparable 2023 period. “It underscores the effectiveness of our strategy and the strength of our growth trajectory,” said Neves.

CH Aviation

Photo: Ton Jochems - AMS