|
Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways yesterday denied a British newspaper report claiming that the UAE carrier is in merger talks with UK-based airline BMI, which owns 11 per cent of the takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow airport in London.
"There's nothing to that report," Thomas Clarke, a spokesman for Etihad, told Gulf News by telephone.
Further, in an e-mailed statement, Clarke said: "The long awaited process of consolidation within the aviation industry is underway and we've had a number of discussions with a variety of carriers around the world, but Etihad Airways has no firm talks planned with any airline or any proposals in the pipeline with any new possible partner."
Report
The Sunday Times said, citing unidentified sources, that Etihad has opened discussions on a merger with BMI that may value the UK airline as much as £600 million (Dh4 billion).
Buying BMI would give Etihad the second-strong-est position at the London airport, it added.
"Etihad has a commercial mandate to break even by 2010 and that is the focus within our business," Clarke said in the statement.
Etihad's 38 aircraft currently fly to 48 destinations, Clarke said.
"We are adding Almaty and Moscow to our flight destinations. At the end of 2008, we would be flying to 50 destinations across the world," said Clarke.
Etihad's chief executive officer James Hogan previously told Gulf News the airline is planning to carry 30 per cent more passengers in 2008.
"We will be pushing towards carrying six million passengers in 2008," said Hogan.
According to figures provided by Etihad, the airline carried about 4.6 million passengers in 2007, compared to 2.8 million in 2006.
|
