Etihad plans to create European airline with Air Berlin owner TUI

Analysts say Etihad’s plan to create a European tourist airline could help it salvage its investment in Air Berlin. The German carrier lost AED 1.1 billion in the first half of this year and John Strickland of JLS Consulting says the move is part of Etihad’s efforts to put it on a “more solid footing”. He was speaking after Etihad and German tour operator TUI confirmed they were in talks to create the new airline. A joint statement from Etihad and TUI said: “This new airline group would serve a broad network of destinations from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.”