Etihad Airways has placed an order for 32 Airbus wide-body passenger planes and freighters, further extending its long-haul network and meeting its capacity growth target of an average 15 per cent per year until 2030.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for six A330 Neo aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2029.

Etihad also announced on the second day of the Dubai Airshow on Tuesday that it has signed a leasing agreement with Dublin-based Avolon, the world's second-largest aircraft lessor, for nine A330-900s that will start arriving from 2027.

An additional seven A350-1000s rounded off its agreement with Airbus for passenger planes, in an endorsement of the model's performance in the hot and dusty climate of the Gulf.

“The A350-1000 is a very, very important plane for Etihad because of the payload and range it gives to Etihad to fly ultra long-haul,” Etihad chief executive Antonoaldo Neves told The National. “This is a plane that can fly to the US or Australia with almost no payload limitations.”

Etihad will use the aircraft not just on ultra-long haul destinations such as Canada, but also “very dense” routes such as slots-constrained Amsterdam, he said.

Etihad Airways chief executive Antonoaldo Neves speaks at the Dubai Airshow 2025 located in Al Maktoum International Airport. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Etihad Airways already operates the A350-1000 in its fleet and is topping up its order with more of the wide-body plane.

This endorsement is in contrast with its Dubai-ba