The Etihad Airways headquarters in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. Etihad is on track to raise about $2bn in loans this year to fund its equity investments around the world and aircraft purchases, its chief financial officer said yesterday. Etihad has aggressively pursued a global expansion strategy by picking up equity stakes in eight airlines around the world, including Air Berlin, Aer Lingus, Virgin Australia and, most recently, Alitalia. The Gulf carrier entered a deal last month to buy almost half of Alitalia and invest €560mn ($751mn) into the
loss-making Italian airline. “Last year we raised approximately $2bn, this year we are on track to raise approximately $2bn,” James Rigney told reporters on the sidelines of an aviation conference in Abu Dhabi. “The primary focus of that money is aircraft-related, and also for investments made in equity,” he added. The funds would be raised through loans, Rigney said, declining to name the lenders.
