June 24 - Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan on Wednesday criticised the competition, particularly those who have accepted subsidies from the government. “We have been very different,” he said while addressing an Australian business group in Abu Dhabi. “Unlike many of the original flag-carriers, which ran for decades on Government hand-outs, subsidies and support, our shareholder has been very clear about the return on investment that is expected – and the commercial basis on which we are to operate.”
He also said that “[There are] no fuel subsidies, no cut-price landing charges – everything is expected to run on a commercial basis.”

The airline is just six years old, said Hogan, but it does not suffer from equipment problems that are a trademark of some of the older airlines. “We’ve also not been burdened with some of the other legacy problems of those competitors. You only have to look at the challenges being faced by Willie Walsh and his colleagues at British Airways currently to see the cost – both short term financial and long term reputational – of such issues,” he added.