Etihad phasing out five Boeing 777-200LRs after U.S. routes cut

Abu Dhabi-owned Etihad Airways is pulling five Boeing 777-200LR passenger jets from its fleet after deciding last year to drop some flights that the aircraft were used on, according to the airline and sources.

An Etihad spokesman said it was phasing out the long-range jets as part of its fleet renewal process.

The airline has over a hundred aircraft on order to be delivered over the next seven years, mostly wide-body jets.

Five sources said the 777-200LRs were deemed surplus following a decision last year to reduce flights to the United States, and might be sold.

Etihad stopped flying to San Francisco last October, and will end flights to Dallas Fort Worth next month. It continues to fly to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C. using 777-300s and A380s.

The 777-200LRs had also been used on flights to Brazil's Sao Paulo, which Etihad stopped flying to in 2017.

Etihad sold all seven of its A340 jets last year, a source said, and on Jan. 24 Etihad told Reuters that it had stopped using five Airbus cargo planes. 

(Alexander Cornwell and Stanley Carvalho - Reuters)