Etihad Airways will re-paint its entire fleet with its new livery by around end-2017, after unveiling the new colour scheme earlier this week.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier estimates it will have 15 aircraft in the new livery by end-2015, comprising four Boeing 787-9s, four Airbus A380s, six Airbus A321s and one A320.
"Every new aircraft will join the fleet with the new livery," says Etihad chief commercial officer Peter Baumgartner at an event to unveil the airline's first 787-9 at Boeing's facilities in Everett. "By end-2017, the entire fleet will be repainted."
Baumgartner declines to specify how much the airline is spending on the livery repainting, only saying: "It's a big exercise but it's worth it."
Etihad has 104 aircraft in service, Flightglobal's Ascend Fleets shows. It has another 204 aircraft on order.
The airline first showed off the new livery on its first Airbus A380 in an event in Hamburg earlier this week, followed by the 787-9. The carrier says the next aircraft to get the new livery will be an A321.
Baumgartner says the new livery comes at an appropriate time as Etihad moves into "the next era" of growth. He notes that besides the new paint scheme, the airline is also introducing new cabin interiors. "We are no longer a start-up, we have arrived," he says.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
