Etihad Airways posts strongest-ever results, profit hits Dhs2.6 billion in 2025

Etihad Airways on Tuesday reported its strongest full-year financial and operational performance on record, marking its fourth consecutive year of profitability.

The strong operating performance and unit cost discipline resulted in a profit after tax of Dhs2.6 billion ($698 million), up 47 per cent year-on-year, with profit margin improving to 8.4 per cent (+1.5pp year-on-year). This is equivalent to more than double the industry average net profit margin of 3.9 per cent, according to IATA’s December 2025 estimates.

Etihad carried 22.4 million passengers, supported by a 21 per cent capacity increase year-on-year, with available seat kilometres (ASK) reaching 111.5 billion.

The airline's revenue increased by 21 per cent year-on-year to Dhs30.7 billion ($8.4 billion), driven by expansion across both passenger and cargo businesses.

Passenger revenue rose by 24 per cent year-on-year to Dhs25.8 billion ($7.0 billion), reflecting increased capacity, sustained demand, improved load factor and stronger yields.

Operating performance strengthened further, with EBITDA increasing by 37 per cent year-on-year to Dhs6.3 billion ($1.7 billion), translating into an EBITDA margin of 20 per cent (+2pp year-on-year).

Strong profitability continued to translate into robust cash generation, with cash flow from operations reaching almost Dhs8.0 billion (more than $2 billion), enabling Etihad to fully fund its Capex requirement for the year, while deleveraging the balance sheet.

The Group’s strengthened financial position and strategy were further recognised in December 2025, with a second consecutive credit rating upgrade from Fitch to AA-, the highest publicly available rating among global airline peers.

“2025 has been a defining year for Etihad, delivering our strongest performance across every key metric and marking our fourth consecutive year of profitability," said Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways.

Etihad continued to grow point-to-point and stopover traffic to Abu Dhabi in 2025, with point-to-point traffic increasing by 900,000 passengers year-on-year to 5.5 million, up from 4.6 million in 2024. The airline’s stopover programme welcomed 170,000 visitors, more than double the 80,000 recorded in 2024.

Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of Etihad Airways, said, “Etihad’s record 2025 performance reflects the strength of its long-term strategy and the quality of execution delivered by its leadership and people.”

Etihad’s growth in 2025 accounted for approximately 50 per cent of total passenger growth in the UAE, based on projected airline traffic performance across the country, underlining the airline’s central role in supporting Abu Dhabi’s tourism, trade and broader economic ambitions.

This contribution was driven by the largest expansion year in Etihad’s history. With 29 aircraft added during the year, the operating fleet grew to 127 aircraft, enabling increased frequency, expanded capacity and a broader global reach to and from Abu Dhabi.

Supported by this fleet growth, Etihad increased its network from 94 to 110 destinations, while total landings rose from 90,000 to more than 105,000.

During 2025, the airline welcomed more than 3,200 new joiners and promoted around 2,200 employees.

Frontline hiring remained a priority, with around 1,600 cabin crew and almost 400 pilots joining the airline in 2025, supporting capacity growth while maintaining service quality and operational resilience. At the same time, Etihad continued to recognise and develop talent internally, delivering around 1,500 cabin crew promotions and nearly 150 pilot promotions during the year.

Etihad’s workforce in 2025 represented 152 nationalities, reflecting the airline’s diverse, global operating footprint.

WAM