Etihad Scores Best Quarter Ever With 30% Jump in Profits

UAE-based Etihad Airways reported first quarter profits of $187 million, making Q1 2025 its most profitable quarter ever.

An Etihad Airways Airbus A350.
An Etihad Airways Airbus A350. (Photo: Etihad)
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Key Takeaways:

Etihad Airways turned in its best-ever quarterly earnings on Wednesday with a filing showing a 30% climb in profits in the first three months of 2025.

The airline, one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates, reported revenues of $1.79 billion and after-tax profits of $187 million. Etihad officials linked the performance to steady passenger demand, expanded seating capacity, increased operational efficiencies, and growth in cargo revenues.

Passenger revenues rose 16% to $1.5 billion as the airline’s number of total passengers carried reached five million. Total revenues grew by 15% year-over-year.

CEO Antonoaldo Neves added that Etihad’s customer satisfaction rating, based on surveys given to passengers, rose by 20%.

Etihad added nine aircraft to its fleet during the last quarter, expanding its fleet size to 98 jets. The new arrivals included the airline’s sixth Airbus A380 and an additional A350-1000. Etihad is in the process of expanding premium seating throughout its fleet.

The carrier also hired 990 new employees in the first three months of 2025, including 70 pilots.

Etihad, which has its main hub at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, currently serves 80 destinations worldwide, mainly in the Middle East, Europe, and South Asia. It plans to add 16 new destinations this year, including nonstop routes between Abu Dhabi and Atlanta, Hong Kong, Prague, and Taipei.

Zach Vasile

Zach Vasile is a writer and editor covering news in all aspects of commercial aviation. He has reported for and contributed to the Manchester Journal Inquirer, the Hartford Business Journal, the Charlotte Observer, and the Washington Examiner, with his area of focus being the intersection of business and government policy.
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