Etihad puts fleet growth into nosedive
 

A bit dramatic from the Telegraph.

Article here;

Etihad puts fleet growth into nosedive - Telegraph

Nothing new...and the title of the article is clearly misleading.

Does anybody have any news concerning future classes? There have been roughly 80 pilots in the hold pool for 7+ months now with no end in sight. Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks.....

If there are still pilot in the holding pool....why are they recruiting in these days? What kind of experience/ratings do they have?
:confused:

Ey has type specific pools. At this time the 80 pilot 320 pool is not drained as EY is not taking A320's at the moment. hopefully the end of the year should see some changes on that side.
the current recruiting effort is oriented towards A330 and A340's . therefore if you are current and typed on the 330/340, chances are you will have a class sooner than the 320 guys in the pool.
Anybody feel free to correct me as this is not confirmed info.

"Nothing new...and the title of the article is clearly misleading."

I agree with that since the article mentions 11 aircraft for 2009 which is consistent with what has been said many times in recent articles and interviews.

the article starts by stating that:
The carrier is benefiting, amid the aviation downturn, from a decision taken in 2007 to put the brakes on capacity growth in 2010 and 2011.

2011 is also the year from which EY should start receiving the first A/C from the massive 2008 farnbourough order.

it also says: It also decided in 2007 to push back the delivery of the first two of 10 Airbus A380 super jumbos until 2012.

Isn t it Airbus that imposed the delay on EY?

My understanding from the article is that only one new aircraft will be delivered in each of 2010 and 2011. The Farnborough orders will now arrive in 2012.

The sentence below the headline may be relevant.

Etihad, the Abu Dhabi-backed airline that is emerging as a rival to Dubai's Emirates, is slowing the delivery of aircraft as it focuses on hitting its target of breaking even by 2010.

It looks like old news but with a few slight differences.