Etihad Airways says passenger numbers have rebounded from Iran war impact

Etihad Airways' passenger-carrying ⁠capacity is higher than a year ago, its chief executive said on Monday, as Gulf carriers recover from disruption to airlines at the start ‌of the US-Israeli war on Iran that has affected this year's revenue.

At Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, available ‌seat kilometres — the industry's standard measure of passenger-carrying capacity — is 15 per cent ‌to ⁠17 per cent higher than a year ago. CEO Antonoaldo ⁠Neves also said the load factor, which measures how well an airline is filling available seats, was 92 per cent in August.

The airline is targeting an ​87 per cent-plus load factor for the ‌remainder of the year. "We are back on track," he said in an interview with Reuters. The Iran war for weeks disrupted flights in the Middle East and beyond after it ‌began at the end of February, but Middle Eastern ​carriers, some of the world's biggest, have gradually resumed their activity.

Etihad expects to post flat revenue this ⁠year compared to 2025 as a result of the airspace closures in March and April, while profitability is expected to be ‌almost zero. Neves said disruption to travelling patterns was being also caused by trade disputes and visa restrictions.

"You have a global situation. I mean, the decisions that the US and Canada are taking on visas, it's impacting us here," he said, pointing to lower traffic from India towards Canada and the ‌US, including from students.

Neves was upbeat about the upcoming winter season, ​although he said demand was shifting and more people were making late bookings — echoing similar views from peer ⁠Emirates. He also said the airline was generating cash to invest ⁠in the fleet.

Earlier on Monday, Etihad made public a new cabin design across first, business and economy classes ‌for its existing Airbus A321 LR aircraft as well as for its A330s, which Neves said could be delivered ​in the middle of next year.