Etihad Airways has announced a new deal with Amadeus to transform its global load control system.

The partnership will be launched worldwide to support Etihad Airways’ ongoing mission to improve operational capabilities and efficiencies.

Etihad Airways will use Amadeus Altéa Departure Control Flight Management to improve productivity with increased automation and integration, in order to better manage capacity and reduce costs.

These new capabilities will be key at the new Midfield terminal in Abu Dhabi, which is expected to have an annual capacity of 30 million passengers when opened to the public.

The solution will enable the airline’s centralised load control function to effectively communicate directly with the aircraft dispatcher using the latest mobile smart devices - improving communication and efficiencies in handling last minute changes.

John Wright, vice president, global airport and network operations, Etihad Airways, said: “As an innovative airline, Etihad is always looking for technological solutions that work efficiently across different platforms to drive operational performance by increasing productivity and reducing costs.

“By partnering with Amadeus, Etihad will be able to more comprehensively automate the load control process – the key to optimised load distribution, safe flights and preventing costly delays.”

Amadeus’ solution will analyse the passenger and cargo load more precisely, automatically defining the optimal aircraft load distribution whilst being able to more accurately calculate the precise fuel for every flight.

The partnership builds on Etihad’s technology and innovation strategy of deploying industry-first initiatives to offer travellers memorable journeys.

Etihad was also one of the 15 airlines that signed a ten-year framework agreement with Amadeus for distribution services in 2017, negotiated and led by the Arab Air Carriers Association.