Etihad Airways the national airline of the United Arab Emirates plans to add approximately 20 aircraft to its fleet each year and recruit between 2500 and 3000 new employees annually for the next five years as it sustains a measured pace of growth.
The Abu Dhabi based carrier which expanded its operating fleet to a record 127 aircraft by the end of 2025 after taking delivery of 29 planes during the year including Airbus A321LR A350 Boeing 787 models and reactivated A380s outlined this approach following robust demand and network enlargement. Destinations served increased from 94 to 110 with fresh routes introduced to Atlanta Prague Warsaw Addis Ababa Phnom Penh Hanoi and Hong Kong while passenger numbers rose 21pc to 22.4m and the stopover programme welcomed 170000 visitors more than double the figure from the previous year.
Chief executive Antonoaldo Neves said the airline would retain the hiring range from 2,500 to 3,000 people per year alongside the addition of about 20 aircraft annually so that this forms more or less the ratio for the coming five years. In 2025 Etihad welcomed more than 3,200 new joiners including around 1,600 cabin crew and nearly 400 pilots and promoted around 2200 staff internally with the workforce now representing 152 nationalities. This balanced expansion supports further development in key markets such as China Southeast Asia and Europe and aligns with investments of about 18.5bn EUR in aircraft and product development over the next decade to bolster Abu Dhabi global connectivity tourism and economic diversification.
