December 17: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, organised a function recently at Solatee Crown Plaza to celebrate 15 years since its first flight.

Etihad Airways said it commenced flying on November 5, 2003 with a single Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which performed a symbolic flight to the emirate of Abu Dhabi’s historic city of Al Ain. Regular commercial flights then launched on November 12 from Abu Dhabi to the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Etihad’s inaugural flight to Kathmandu, Nepal, departed on October 28 in 2007 from Abu Dhabi.

The airline now operates a next-generation fleet of over 100 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, flying to 84 passenger and cargo destinations across 55 countries. Since its launch, Etihad said it has operated over 840,000 passenger flights and has carried 139 million guests, served by a dedicated workforce of over 22,000 talented individuals from over 150 countries.

Etihad Airways’ country manager for Nepal, Pawana Shrestha, said, “We are tremendously proud of Etihad’s achievements in just 15 years. In this short time, we have emerged as a highly respected airline brand, known for leading the way through innovation underpinned by Arabian hospitality.”

The anniversary coincides with the introduction of Etihad’s new brand platform, Choose Well, redefining its guest proposition to empower travellers to choose what they want, when they want. The inspiration behind the brand platform was taken from the founder of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the choices he made to develop his nation and his people.