This week LATTE spoke exclusively with Etihad Airways’ General Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Sarah Built, to get an understanding of how the UAE’s national airline is responding to the coronavirus pandemic and the actions being taken for the post-COVID-19 recovery.
Sarah discusses with us what happens with Etihad’s aircraft which are currently idle on the ground in Abu Dhabi including rigorous engineering activities, how the airline is poised to return to scheduled operations and where it will relaunch first, and the Abu Dhabi-based carrier’s current stance on global aviation alliances.
Sarah, you’ve been in the airline industry for nearly 30 years. Have you ever experienced anything of the magnitude of the current coronavirus pandemic? Does anything come close?
I was working with Swissair when 9/11 happened, which at the time was an unprecedented event that had an enormous impact on the world. Less than a month later Swissair filed for bankruptcy. While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic now eclipses that of 9/11, these were very significant events both at a global level but also at a personal level for me at the time. What is clear to me from living through such experiences is that whatever the magnitude of the situation, you always learn from the experience so there is always a positive to be found.
How is Etihad Airways positioned during these unprecedented times?
