‍ABU DHABI — Etihad Airways (EY) reported a strong start to 2026, carrying 2.2 million passengers in January, up 29% from 1.7 million a year earlier, while keeping its passenger load factor at 89.9% (vs. 89.1% in January 2025).

The carrier also highlighted continued scale-up on the supply side: its operating fleet stood at 127 aircraft at the start of 2026 (up from 101), with a network of 110 destinations worldwide (up from 94), with the airline noting the figures include seasonal and cargo routes and destinations scheduled to start within the next 12 months.

CEO Antonoaldo Neves said demand remains high and pointed to the airline’s ability to hold load factors above 89% while growing capacity, also citing newly announced services to Luxembourg and Calgary as part of the carrier’s network expansion.

Sustaining near-90% loads while expanding fleet and destinations suggests Etihad is managing growth with unusually tight capacity discipline—an encouraging signal for yields and unit costs as Abu Dhabi’s hub role scales. 

The next tell will be whether EY can keep that load-factor resilience as new routes mature and additional capacity comes online.