TUI Group has ended negotiations with Etihad over s planned joint venture between TUI's German aviation subsidiary TUI fly and Austrian low-cost airline Niki, owned by Etihad.
“A strong European leisure airline continues to make great strategic sense. After all, the aviation sector is characterised by overcapacity in Germany. However, Niki is no longer available for a joint venture. We will push the repositioning of TUI fly further ahead in order to develop long-term prospects for the airline and its employees," said Sebastien Ebel, head of TUI's Central Region comprising Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland.
TUI has stated, however, that it remains open to a partnership or the formation of joint ventures "serving the strategic goal of reshaping the market".