Dubai: UAE's national carrier, Etihad Airways, welcomed 1.7 million passengers in December 2024, marking a more than 20pc increase compared to the same period last year.

The airline also reported a load factor of 87pc, up from 84pc in December 2023, reflecting improved efficiency in utilizing its passenger and cargo capacity.

Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways, said: "December was our busiest month of the year, in the traditionally active holiday season, and we carried 1.7 million passengers, a 22 percent rise on the same month of 2023.

“In the full year of 2024, we carried more than 18 million guests, with a very healthy passenger load factor of 87 percent across the year. More impressively, it represents an 80 percent increase in our total passenger numbers for 2022, underlining our strong growth trajectory over the past two years.

"In December, our network continued to grow as we resumed our service to Nairobi, Kenya, and we are looking forward to starting operations to the new destinations recently announced.”

-B