Readers of the last issue of Airliner World hopefully enjoyed our feature focused on the inaugural flight of Etihad Airways’ (EY) Airbus A350-1000. Years in the making, the launch of the UAE national carrier’s new flagship grabbed global headlines and represented a step change in its fleet modernisation programme.
While the cabin crew were the glamorous face for passengers boarding A6-XWB (c/n 290), there was also a small army of colleagues behind the scenes whose efforts help make the airline run smoothly.
Keen to learn more about the broader workings of the Etihad Aviation Group (EAG), I took some time out of my schedule to get a better idea about lesser-known but hugely important aspects of the wider business.
My day started with a visit to Etihad Engineering headquarters just a few minutes’ drive from the main passenger terminal at Abu Dhabi/International. Picking me up from the security outpost at the perimeter fence was David Doherty, the firm’s head of MRO sales. Despite being a relatively cool 27°C, I was still grateful to see his golf buggy, which would be our chariot to help explore the airside elements of the site.
On our way to the main hangar I took the opportunity to get Doherty’s verdic…
