Etihad Airways
Company Overview
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, was set up by Royal Decree in July 2003 by the (then future) president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. His excellency wanted an airline for the capital, Abu Dhabi. Etihad is now the second flag carried, after Emirates Airlines, in the United Arab Emirates (Etihad Corporate Airways, n.d). Prior to this, the emirate of Abu Dhabi was the joint-owner of Gulf Air along with Bahrain, Qatar, and the Sultanate of Oman which was based in the Abu Dhabi International Airport from the 1970s until they withdrew from the airline.
The Airways commenced its operations in November 2003 and its first ten years became one of the fastest-growing airlines in the history of commercial aviation (Etihad Airways, 2014). Since then, Etihad has received a plethora of awards which reflects its position as one of the world's leading premium airline brands. Their awards include the “World's Leading Airline” at World Travel Awards five years in a row, Airline Marketing Leadership, World's Leading First Class, Executive Leadership, Middle East Deal of the Year, and more (Etihad Airways, 2014). The airline now operates over 1000 flights per week to over 120 passengers and cargo destinations to the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Northern America (Corporate, n.d).
Mission
Etihad Airways’ vision is “to be the best airline in the world, connecting the globe via Abu Dhabi” (Etihad Corporate Airways, n.d). The airline seeks to “reflect its values of Arabian hospitality and warmth” but to also enhance the reputation of Abu Dhabi as a world-class business and leisure destination. Etihad is inspired by its Emirati values and benchmarks itself against the world’s best hospitality establishments, not just other airlines. The airline has introduced a number of signature travel experiences with world-class products and innovative service offerings such as the Inflight Chef, Food & Beverage Managers, and Flying Nannies (Etihad Corporate Airways, n.d).
Vision
Etihad’s mission “is to transform the travel industry through creativity and innovation, but it’s our people that really make us who we are. We're looking for highly-focused, committed people to help us achieve our dreams, but we're just as committed to helping you achieve yours” (Etihad Corporate Airways, n.d).
Company Logo
The Etihad Airway logo has remained predominantly unchanged since its origins. Since it was founded in 2003, there has only been one major update to the company’s logo. The first logo was dominated by the word “Etihad” in a creative yet legible type. The Arabic version was placed above, while the word “Airways” in a more regular serif type was placed below. However, in 2014, the gold grew lighter and brighter while the lettering “Airways” grew larger and now featured a simpler type. The color gold is a precious metal associated with wealth, grandeur, and prosperity. More so, Etihad's selection for this brand-identifying color could be due to the fact that it also represents courage, passion, magic, and wisdom.
Figure 2: Etihad Airways logo changes over the years
