Etihad Airways is expecting to make its stock market debut no sooner than 2025, informed two sources close to the matter. Etihad Airways is owned by the overseas wealth fund ADQ, which hoped to list the airline carrier within this year. However, the plan has since pivoted to 2025 in anticipation of strong 2024 financial results.
Under the Abu Dhabi-based airlines “Journey 2030” strategy, it intends to bolster Abu Dhabi’s role as a travel hub connecting Asia and Europe. Since its inception in 2003, Etihad has invested billions of dollars in acquiring minority stakes in various airlines to build a more extensive network and enhance its competitiveness against Gulf rivals, Emirates and Qatar Airways. However, this strategy faltered as several of these airlines faced financial difficulties.
Following a management overhaul and years of scaling back operations, Etihad has seen expansion under the leadership of new CEO Antonoaldo Neves. Etihad aims to expand to more than 125 airports by 2030 and scale up its fleet to over 160 aircraft. In November 2023, Neves informed that “the mandate is clear: to deliver extraordinary customer service and sustainable profitability, as the foundation for Etihad’s contribution to Abu Dhabi’s aspirations.” Neves told Reuters in March 2024 that Etihad is actively working towards increasing transparency, governance, and its balance sheet “to be ready for an IPO should ADQ decide to list it.”
Etihad reported a 48% increase in half-year after tax profit, with passenger numbers rising 38% to 8.7 million.
