This brings the airline’s total order for the aircraft to 50 Airbus A350s costing $16 billion at list price.
The announcement came on Monday at Dubai’s Airshow, the Middle East’s biggest aviation event. It was also the largest order at the biennial airshow that’s seen a slowdown of big purchases by Gulf Mideast carriers.
Abu Dhabi’s flagship carrier Etihad has partnered with Boeing to launch what they say will be one of the world’s most fuel-efficient long haul airplanes as the company seeks to save costs on fuel and position itself as a more environmentally-conscious choice for travelers.
Etihad’s “Greenliner” is a 787 Dreamliner that will depart on its first route from Abu Dhabi to Brussels next year. Etihad’s CEO Tony Douglas described the aircraft as a flying laboratory for testing that could benefit the entire industry.
As fuel costs eat up a quarter of airline spending, Douglas said Monday the goal of the Greenliner is to be 20% more fuel efficient than other aircraft in Etihad’s fleet.
Aviation accounts for a small but rapidly growing share of greenhouse-gas emissions — about 2.5% worldwide.