Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) is on course to raise USD2billion in loans to fund its equity investments and aircraft acquisitions Chief Financial Officer James Rigney has said. In the past, Etihad has typically utilised institutional credit from local and international banks, export credit agencies as well as lease and lease financing.

"Last year we raised approximately $2 billion, this year we are on track to raise approximately $2 billion," Rigney told Reuters on the sidelines of an aviation conference in Abu Dhabi. "The primary focus of that money is aircraft-related, and also for investments made in equity."

The announcement comes after earlier this year, the Emirati carrier held a series of fundraising roadshows in London and New York.

Rigney declined to name the lenders involved.

Over the past 18 months, Etihad has signed a multitude of investment deals resulting in its acquiring stakes in Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade), Darwin Airline (Lugano), Air Berlin (1991) (Berlin Tegel), and more recently, Alitalia (AZA, Rome Fiumicino).