Etihad exec's marathon round-the-world journey breaks Guinness World Record

Fisher' journey covered 41,375 km on scheduled flights operated by Air New Zealand, KLM and China Eastern that took him from Shanghai to Auckland; Buenos Aires to Amsterdam and back to Shanghai.

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“It’s an incredible feeling to have finally achieved my dream,” recalled Fisher, Etihad Airways vice president fleet planning, after touching down at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai. “Although I managed only 16 hours of sleep throughout the journey, I still felt fresh, perhaps due to the adrenalin and excitement at completing this unique experience. And it’s a great feeling to be part of a company that encourages and enables its employees to pursue their dreams.”

Etihad Airways acknowledged Andrew’s achievement with a reception at its Abu Dhabi headquarters, where the record breaker shared a video and experience of his marathon round-the-world journey.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways chief executive officer, added: “On behalf of employees across the company, I congratulate Andrew for this remarkable achievement. This feat requires significant commitment, dedication and perseverance – values that we at Etihad instil in all our employees, and we are extremely proud to have Andrew as a member of our Etihad family.”

A record in the making

The New Zealander who joined Etihad Airways in 2007, and who has a passion for studying airline route networks and schedules, meticulously charted his journey. He targeted the record for over 20 years and was first keen to attempt to break it as a teenager.

“With the advent of new longer range and fuel-efficient aircraft over the years, airlines have been able to introduce non-stop long-haul flights and add frequencies that facilitated my record-breaking attempt,” commented Fisher.

“Planning the trip was a matter of identifying the most suitable qualifying antipodal city pairs and then finding the best routes, schedules and tightest possible connections within the right window of opportunity.”