Etihad Appoints New CEO

The Etihad Aviation Group has appointed the former boss of Portuguese airline TAP, Antonoaldo Neves as new CEO.

The announcement came after the Abu Dhabi government transferred its ownership of the Etihad Aviation Group — the parent of Etihad Airways — to holding company ADQ as part of efforts to transform the emirate into a global aviation hub. Previously, ADQ suggested combining stakes in three aviation companies with Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) to create a maintenance, repair and overhaul operator, with Dh9.4 billion ($2.6 billion) in assets.

The previous CEO of Etihad, Tony Douglas, who took this post in 2018, has decided to pursue an opportunity elsewhere, ADQ said on Wednesday. In September, it was reported that Tony Douglas had agreed to join new Saudi airline RIA, which is expected to become the new Saudi national carrier.

Tony has led Etihad through some of its most challenging times and has successfully turned the airline into a profitable and sustainable business over the past five years as part of its initial transformation programme,

said Etihad Aviation Group chairman Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa.

Neves, the new Etihad CEO, served as chief executive and a board member of Lisbon-based TAP from July 2017 to September 2020. Before that, he had been president of Brazil’s Azul Airlines from January 2014 to July 2017, and took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange.