Etihad's CEO says the airline is building a new 'Silk Road'

The Etihad Airways strategy will continue to build a new 'Silk Road' that connects markets via the Abu Dhabi hub, said Etihad Airways president and CEO, James Hogan.

Speaking at the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit, Hogan said: "The airline's strategy was to focus on growth markets and the global air travel map is being redrawn as new markets evolve, traditional markets decline and the airline industry reshapes itself to accommodate changing conditions."

Speaking to more than 800 senior travel executives, the present and chief executive said that legacy airlines were unlikely to progress unless they radically changed the way in which they did business. In addition to the ongoing challenges of economic instability and uncertainty surrounding fuel prices and supply, Hogan said the rapid growth of air travel in markets such as India, Africa and the Middle East meant airlines would need to reshape their networks to accommodate changing traffic flows.

The CEO said one of the fastest-growing regions was the Mideast, where major new hubs including Abu Dhabi were developing to support rapid economic growth in the Gulf region and to connect both new and traditional markets.

(c)2013 the Khaleej Times (Dubai, United Arab Emirates). Distributed by MCT Information Services.