Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) has called a report citing alleged ongoing talks regarding its potential stock market listing "speculation".
"Etihad does not comment on rumour or speculation," a spokesperson for the company told ch-aviation after Bloomberg reported that the sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ) was looking into taking the carrier public, a first for a major hub carrier in the Gulf.
Talks are allegedly still ongoing and no information is public, but sources cited in the report claimed that ADQ is considering both a traditional IPO and a direct listing while talks with banks are ongoing.
ADQ did not respond to a request for comment from ch-aviation. The wealth fund took over Etihad from Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs in 2022.
Etihad has been trying to resurface as a relevant player in the region after being overshadowed by Emirates (EK, Dubai International) and Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) for years following unsuccessful investments in numerous airlines and a strong impact from the pandemic.
