Airbus has presented Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, with the prestigious award for the best ‘Operational Reliability Performance’ in the first year of A380 operations.

The Etihad Airways A380 fleet recorded an extraordinary 99.8% operational reliability between January and December 2015.

This is the highest level of reliability ever recorded by an airline in its first year of A380 operations. Etihad Airways’ A380 operational reliability means only 0.2% of flights were delayed, with no cancellations, in the first year.

The award was presented to Jeff Wilkinson, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President, Technical, by Didier Lux, Airbus Head of Customer Service, at a ceremony in Toulouse, France.

In the airline industry, reliability is a critical key to success – from punctuality, revenue and yield maximisation, all the way through to the guest experience.

Etihad Airways’ first A380 made its debut on the popular London Heathrow route from Abu Dhabi in December 2014. There are currently six aircraft in the airline’s A380 fleet, with four more scheduled for delivery.