Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive of Etihad Airways, said in an interview that the carrier expects to surpass its pre-war capacity in the current month of June, targeting an increase in the number of its flights by around 8% by 15 June compared with the same period last year. He also revealed that the company intends to purchase more wide-body aircraft.
Speaking on the sidelines of a global airline chiefs' meeting in Brazil, he said the carrier would buy wide-body aircraft in the tens, declining to provide further details.
Neves said Etihad Airways is strongly restoring its flight operations after cutting the number of flights in March as the conflict widened across the region and fuel prices rose.
He added that the company does not plan to reduce costs by cutting flights at the present time, saying: "The biggest cost we bear is having an empty aircraft, so the way I prefer to cut costs is to have no empty aircraft."