{"text":[[{"start":9.25,"text":"Etihad Airways is on track to overtake its capacity prior to the Iran War within weeks without needing to aggressively cut prices to attract passengers, its chief executive said. "}],[{"start":21.15,"text":"The Abu Dhabi-based airline saw its planes grounded when the regional conflict began on February 28 but it has been reintroducing services steadily since. "}],[{"start":31.349999999999998,"text":"A collapse in corporate travel is being offset by rising bookings in the US, India and south-east Asia, CEO Antonoaldo Neves said. "}],[{"start":40.9,"text":"“We’re back,” he told the FT. "}],[{"start":43.5,"text":"“Demand is back . . . the US is booming, India is booming.” "}],[{"start":48.6,"text":"Demand from Paris to transit through Abu Dhabi to travel to Asia is so strong the airline is laying on two of its A380s — the double-decker planes that are the largest in its fleet — a day from July. "}],[{"start":60.3,"text":"Like Qatar Airways and to a lesser extent Emirates, much of Etihad’s business is transferring passengers between Europe or the Americas and Asia. "}],[{"start":68.8,"text":"The airline is currently operating at 90 per cent of its prewar “available seat kilometres,” a key industry metric of capacity, Neves said. By June 15, it will pass 100 per cent and keep growing later in the year, he added. "}],[{"start":82.7,"text":"Its planes are 84 per cent full, with prices back at the levels they were before the conflict, though the airline has not passed on the price of jet fuel, which has doubled. "}],[{"start":93.75,"text":"“Our average fare right now is the same as the average fare that I had in January and February,” he said. "}],[{"start":100.35,"text":"There has been an expectation among the industry outside the Gulf that operators such as Etihad and Dubai’s Emirates will need to cut prices to convince customers to return after a ceasefire — something that Neves said was “bullshit”. "}],[{"start":117.44999999999999,"text":"He added: “I don’t see prices going down, to be honest.” "}],[{"start":121.44999999999999,"text":"In his first interview since the conflict began, Neves also insisted that the airline, which ran flights even while the UAE was being hit by drone and missile strikes, had operated safely throughout. "}],[{"start":132.85,"text":"It flew flights through corridors of airspace that were not closed, which was the airline’s decision based purely on the level of demand, he stressed. During the early weeks of the war, he even put his family on a plane to go on holiday in Europe. "}],[{"start":146.4,"text":"“If I’m willing to put my daughter [and] my wife on the plane, it’s because it’s safe to fly,” he said. "}],[{"start":152.55,"text":"The company had been on track to make 10 per cent operating margin this year — up from 8 per cent last year — though it will no longer meet that goal, Neves said. It was hit in March, April and May and, despite recovering this month, will not be “back on track” until August, he added. "}],[{"start":167.95000000000002,"text":"The company, which is owned by Abu Dhabi’s L’imad sovereign wealth fund, has a strong balance sheet and will not need to raise additional funds this year, he added. "}],[{"start":185.30000000000004,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780790597_1739.mp3"}