Emirates and Etihad deny merger report

dubai — Emirates and Etihad, two of the Middle East’s top airlines, denied a Bloomberg report on Thursday which quoted unnamed sources as saying Emirates was seeking to take over Etihad to create the world’s largest carrier.

“There is no truth to this rumour,” an Emirates spokeswoman told Reuters.

Etihad made a similar statement which said a merger was not on the cards.

Earlier this year, the two carriers signed agreements to cooperate in some areas, such as a deal under which Etihad pilots can join Emirates on a temporary basis for two years.

However, Emirates Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum ruled out a merger in May this year. —