Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) James Hogan has visited Boeing's Everett production facility, as the UAE flag carrier prepares to take delivery of more 777s and awaits the arrival of the 787 Dreamliner.
Hogan is leading a senior delegation of Etihad Airways and Airberlin executives on a one day visit. Etihad Airways owns almost 30 percent of Airberlin, Europe 's sixth largest airline.
In March, the two carriers announced plans to strengthen their partnership by integrating their respective Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs.
Together, Etihad Airways (41) and Airberlin (15) have 56 Dreamliners on order.
Inspecting the 777 and Dreamliner assembly lines,Hogan said: "It is exciting to see these aircraft take shape and we look forward to taking delivery of nine more 777s over the next 15 months. For both carriers the Dreamliner's arrival will be a positive milestone for two strategically aligned partners, who are looking to successfully work with Boeing on our integrated fleet program."
"Already we are sharing infrastructure, streamlining our purchasing activity for engines, rotables, avionics and in-flight entertainment systems, and are also hard at work on common onboard product specifications for our respective brands which will give passengers a consistent product experience," he said.
