Chief executives of Etihad Airways partner airlines gather in Rome

The chief executive officers of six airlines in the Etihad Airways Partners group recently met in Rome to identify and progress collaborative initiatives designed to cut the carriers' costs, increase their revenues, and expand sustainable choices for their customers.

The partnership summit was chaired by James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, and brings together the leaders of Alitalia, the airberlin Group, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, and Etihad Regional, and the chief officers of Etihad Airways and Alitalia.
Etihad Airways holds minority stakes in Alitalia (49%), airberlin (29.2%), Jet Airways (24%), Air Serbia (49%), Air Seychelles (40%) and Darwin Airline, which trades as Etihad Regional (33.3%).

The meeting follows another recent conclusion of an innovative collective financing agreement, through which US$700 million was raised on the international markets for use by Etihad Airways, Etihad Airport Services, airberlin, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, and Air Seychelles.

Members of Etihad Airways Partners also work together to reduce costs and improve efficiency and customer choice through measures which otherwise would only be available through mergers or takeovers. In addition to code sharing and joint commercial activities, the members of Etihad Airways Partners collaborate through resource sharing, adoption of best practice, and joint procurement of assets, services and supplies. They also develop relationships between each other, or facilitate deals with external airline partners or suppliers.

Beyond the joint financing agreement, the airlines also collaborate on the sourcing of IT platforms, aircraft and insurance, and share resources including pilot and cabin crew training. A number of airlines in the group have sourced additional aircraft from each other or redeployed excess fleet to each other. Employees have been transferred between airlines, enabling members of Etihad Airways Partners to recruit skills or provide fresh employment opportunities within the group. 

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