Etihad Airways has placed a $2.2bn order with Airbus for 12 new wide-body aircraft including four A340-600s, fi ve A330 passenger aircraft and three A330 freighters.

The new aircraft are scheduled for delivery between 2008 and 2011 and will increase the UAE national airline’s fl eet to 46 aircraft. The Abu Dhabi-based airline continues to expand its network and has launched fl ights to Kuala Lumpur, Kochi (Cochin), Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and Sydney this year, with Dublin set to join the long list in July, while fl ights to Milan and Singapore will start in September.

In addition to the purchase of the 12 new aircraft, Etihad has decided to defer the delivery of its four Airbus A380s. The order for the A380s was made in 2004, with the fi rst delivery expected in 2009.