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Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, posted its strongest ever annual figures in 2007, with a rise of 67% in passenger figures compared to the previous year.

The operator carried more than 4.6m passengers last year, compared to 2.8m in 2006.

An average seat load factor of 69% was recorded across Etihad's network of 45 destinations, which was another record achievement.

Among the carrier's most popular services were those to Dublin, Toronto, Jakarta, Manila, Kathmandu and Lahore, which filled their flights by more than 80% on average.

Etihad's most popular business routes were Toronto, London Heathrow, Sydney and Geneva.

James Hogan, chief executive of the airline, said: 'Our intense activity last year witnessed another year of significant expansion for Etihad.

'The story has been one of both quantity and quality, with record passenger numbers and seat factors together with growing recognition for the quality of Etihad's products and services as witnessed by a number of top industry awards.'

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