Excerpts from interview on Arabianbusiness.com 

Etihad Airways has celebrated its tenth anniversary. In just a decade, we have created from nothing a dynamic national carrier for a dynamic young nation, a world-class airline with a global presence and a company which continues to grow strongly in an industry known more for its challenges than its successes.

We are proud of our past and our achievements. But we are even more excited about our future and our opportunities, as new markets emerge, old markets reshape and the airline industry reinvents itself.
Etihad Airways is an airline on the move, and 2014 represents not just a new year but the start of a new era for our company. As the UAE continues to emerge as the next global business hub, Etihad Airways is building a global network to connect the world via Abu Dhabi.

Being one of the youngest airlines in the world, it is not possible for us to achieve the same scale as our major competitors. So we have developed a fresh business model for the airline industry.

By the end of 2013, we launched or announced equity investments in seven other airlines, three of which will truly take off in 2014.
On 1 January, we will acquire a 49 percent stake in Air Serbia. We are acquiring 33.3 percent of the Swiss regional carrier, Darwin Airline, which in January will also become the first member of our new “branded partnership” model, Etihad Regional.
We are preparing for major expansion of our India operations following the recent approval of our historic 24 percent investment in India’s Jet Airways, the first investment by a foreign carrier in the Indian airline sector. And we continue to explore partnership opportunities where they make economic and strategic sense.

To support our growth, we continue to invest heavily in new, state-of-the-art fleet, and in 2014 we will take delivery of 20 new aircraft, including our first Airbus A380 superjumbos and Etihad Airways is an airline on the move. An airline growing to meet changing traffic flows between established markets and emerging regions including India, Africa, China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Abu Dhabi is, in every way, the centre of the world, and in 2014 Etihad Airways will continue to ascend to both leverage and meet the expectations of the market.