Etihad and partners to support 108,000 US jobs this year

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) and its equity partner airlines will support 108,000 jobs across the United States and contribute $10.7bn to its national economy this year, it has revealed.

The group includes Etihad Airways, Etihad Airways Engineering, Hala Group and airline equity partners. Its equity partners include airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional.

In 2016, EAG’s core economic contribution to the US economy will be $3.8bn in gross domestic product, supporting 30,300 jobs.

This includes the US impact from EAG’s global operations and its capital spending with US-based suppliers, mainly from Etihad’s investment in new aircraft, cabin interiors and IT infrastructure.

This employment will deliver $2.9bn to the country’s GDP, a statement said.

Meanwhile, spending by the 280,000 international visitors carried into the US on Etihad’s flights during 2016 is estimated to contribute $1.9bn in GDP, supporting around 22,400 jobs.

The airline will operate over 4,700 flights to and from the US and carry around 1.2 million passengers this year. The state-owned carrier currently flies to six cities across the US including New York, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas.

The US economy is also expected to benefit from the impact of the operations and services of EAG’s equity partner airlines.

Together, they will deliver $1.6bn to America’s GDP, with a further $3.4bn tourism contribution. They will also support 13,700 jobs through their core operations and a further 41,100 jobs through the tourism industry.

The airlines also facilitate economic activity through connecting travellers and businesses, which is hoped to boost US productivity by $1.1bn.

EAG president and chief executive officer James Hogan said: “Many jobs across the supply chain in hotels, ground transport companies, freight forwarders, catering, manufacturing, and throughout the tourism industry, all benefit from the presence of Etihad Aviation Group, with suppliers in these sectors creating tremendous employment opportunities for Americans.

“As Etihad Airways expands its US operations, and the importance of Abu Dhabi as a global hub grows, so will our impact on the US economy, in particular the employment landscape with the huge number of jobs supported across the country, both directly and indirectly.”

According to Oxford Economics, EAG and its partners’ economic contribution to the US will reach $18.2bn by 2024 and support 171,400 jobs in the economy.