Etihad Airways helps host UAE Innovation Week

The nationwide Innovation Week was announced by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum as part of the UAE’s National Innovation Strategy launched in October 2014.  

The week-long activities seek to promote the country’s position as a global innovation hub, and encourage innovative thinking within the government and private sectors, as well as from the public. 

Etihad Airways’ Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi is playing host to government entities, and members of the media, who will all have the opportunity to explore lifelike mock-ups of the airline’s revolutionary Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft cabins. Etihad Airways’ A380 includes the ground-breaking The Residence by Etihad, First Apartments and Business Studios, while the B787 contains the award-winning First Suites. 

The tour of the Etihad Airways Innovation Centre was led by the airline’s president and chief executive officer, James Hogan, who welcomed Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the transport department and member of the executive council, Abu Dhabi;  Major General Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi, deputy commander-in-chief of Abu Dhabi Police and member of the executive council; and Saeed Saif Al Neyadi, general manager of Abu Dhabi Monitoring and Control Centre. 

Etihad Airways has invested billions of dollars in technology and innovation to transform its operations and businesses, leveraging technology platforms, digital capability and supplier partnerships across its equity partner airlines to achieve economies of skill and scale. Etihad Airways now collaborates with the world’s largest technology companies such as Accenture, Adobe, IBM, SAP and Sabre to enhance the group’s guest experience using a resilient and secure cloud-based infrastructure.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive officer, said: “In a competitive market environment such as aviation, a sustained innovation process is fundamental to providing the best possible products and services to our guests now and into the future. In seeking new ideas and challenging the standards, we benchmark ourselves outside the airline sector to take inspiration from global best practice of leaders within the hospitality industry.”

The Innovation Centre tour also showcases developments in the airline’s information technology services, which include the cabin crew tablet application ‘iKnow’, and the benefits it brings to both crew and guests. In addition, it features applications developed for pilots, technical staff and those used for disruption support.