Etihad Airways honours staff who joined airline 10 years ago

Staff members recall the first Etihad flight to arrive in Abu Dhabi, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and tell of how staff numbers have grown from 100 to more than 17,000.

ABU DHABI // Seventy-five employees who have been with the national airline since its launch 10 years ago are being honoured for their service.

Senior managers for Etihad Airways paid tribute to the staff at a celebratory gala dinner at the Westin, Abu Dhabi, handing out recognition medals and certificates.

The 75 employees work in various areas of the business, with many in key roles in departments including operations, finance, strategy and planning, commercial and human resources.

“On behalf of the entire senior management team of Etihad Airways, it is my enormous privilege to be able to thank our staff for 10 years of dedicated service and incredible commitment to our business,” said Ray Gammell, Etihad’s chief people and performance officer.

“They have been the constant driving force behind our efforts to create a best-in-class airline, an airline that has today truly brought Abu Dhabi to the world.”

Abdul Qader Hussein Ahmed, Etihad’s vice president for government and international affairs, was also celebrating a decade with the airline.

He recalled being the first person to go inside Etihad’s first aircraft, an Airbus A330, after it had touched down in Abu Dhabi.

“I was honoured to do so by his Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, founding chairman of Etihad Airways,” he said.

“I remember that the flight was coming from Sao Paulo, Brazil. As I went up the steps, the crew opened the door and I stepped in. There were only three cabin crew, a man and two ladies, and they looked very nervous.

“They were staring at me in my kandura, thinking, who is this person? Where are we? Luckily, I knew a few words of Portuguese and I said welcome to Abu Dhabi and then greeted them in their own language and they immediately seemed to relax.

One of the ladies is still with Etihad, and was present at the ceremony.

Mr Ahmed also remembered the first Etihad passenger flight, which went to Beirut. “There were only 60 passengers, and most of them were guests so they were not paying,” he said.

Last year, Etihad carried 10.3 million passengers. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, it offers flights to 97 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, with a fleet of 87 Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

The company also has more than 220 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 25 Boeing 777X, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s, the world’s largest passenger aircraft.

“That’s quite the achievement, I’m very proud to say. A lot of people in the industry said it would be difficult to reach the same status as British Airways or Emirates, but here we are,” Mr Ahmed said. “The company started in 2003 with just 100 employees.”

Since then, Etihad has grown its global workforce to more than 17,000 people and the carrier expects to reach 20,000 staff by December next year.