Etihad Airways has indicated it will pick up routes abandoned by Qantas. The Australian flag carrier is poised to announce a new international route in a restructured network to be announced soon. Qantas will also announced plans for a new subsidiary based in Hong Kong.
James Hogan, Etihad chief, is poised to pick up the routes Qantas drops. He said to Australian newspaper The Age: “If they [Qantas] do dilute or marginalise their international flying that’s a great opportunity for us … and we’re happy to fill the gap.”
“The Gulf airlines and the Asian carriers out of Australia will have a stronger consumer offering – whether it’s leisure or corporate,” he said.