Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways will phase out its Boeing B777-300ER aircrafts after this year, said its chief executive, Tony Douglas.
State-owned Etihad aims to become profitable in the year 2023, under a restructuring plan that it has accelerated during a time when pandemic that has battered the air travel industry.
Aim is to become a smaller airline, building the business model around B787 Dreamliner aircrafts and Airbus A350 models, while phasing out 19 Boeing B777 jets.
"You will see of us a very focused, a very disciplined operating model which is heavily built around the fleet of the (Boeing) 787 Dreamliner and (Airbus) A350-1000," CEO Tony Douglas told the online World Aviation Festival.
Some of the Etihad's Boeing B777 aircrafts have been recently converted to cargo flights in response to an increased demand in freighter business .
Airline has 39 B787 Dreamliners in its fleet and has taken delivery of 5 out of 20 A350s it had ordered.
Etihad has ordered 25 777X aircrafts, which is yeat to be launched Boeing. Douglas said it was too early to comment as to how the Boeing 777X jet would fit into its future fleet plans.
Due to internation travel slump, Boeing expects the larger version of the B777 to start entering service by late 2023, three years delayed than initially planned.
Picture : Alec Wilson
