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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Etihad’s Toronto Route is One of the Busiest in Surging Airline’s Network

by John Kirk  February 21, 2025

Travel Market Report Canada’s John Kirk travelled to Abu Dhabi this week to meet with top Etihad officials, get an update on Canadian performance and check out some of the vacation possibilities for Canadian travellers.

The trip follows the announcement of results or the full year 2024, recording strong performance across all key metrics with a US$476 million profit after tax.  The airline carried 18.5 million passengers, a 32% increase from the previous year, reflecting strong and sustained demand across its expanding network. The growth was supported by a 28% capacity increase and an improved passenger load factor, which reached 87% in full-year 2024.

In an interview with VP Sales & Distribution Javier Alija at Etihad HQ, Kirk learned that Toronto is one of the busiest routes in the EY network.

“We’ve been in Toronto for 20 years. For us to be able to increase frequency due to a revised bilateral agreement, together with the new product on the A350, it’s been a game-changer in the market,” Alija said. “Load factors out of Toronto around 90% on a year-round basis, making it one of the busiest if not top three in our network in terms of load factor.”

Watch the entire interview below.

  
  
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