The restructuring of Etihad Airways remains a work in progress, but the Abut Dhabi aviation group’s chief executive Tony Douglas is confident that efforts will eventually deliver a “very strong” business.

The restructuring of Etihad Airways remains a work in progress, but the Abut Dhabi aviation group’s chief executive Tony Douglas is confident that efforts will eventually deliver a “very strong” business.

Etihad reported a huge loss for its last financial year. However, the $1.28 billion deficit it suffered was an improvement on the $1.52 billion loss reported for the previous 12 months.

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Speaking at the Dubai air show today at the launch of an “eco partnership” with Boeing and the unveiling of the “Etihad Greenliner” 787, Douglas outlined the status of the transformation programme designed to return the airline to profit.

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Etihad

“We’ve still got a long way to go. We’re slightly ahead of where we planned to be,” says Douglas. “If we stay focused, if we do the right things like this [eco partnership] for the right reasons, we’ll all see a very strong Etihad in the future.”