Etihad Airways appears close to making a final decision as to whether or not to buy an equity stake in Alitalia. Speaking during a March 3 conference call about the Abu Dhabi-based airline's latest quarterly financial results, CEO James Hogan confirmed that Etihad has entered the final stage of due diligence in evaluating the struggling Italian flagcarrier. Hogan recently met in Rome with Alitalia’s board and senior management team and Italy’s ministers of transport and finance. As always, said Hogan, a decision on whether or not Etihad will proceed will hinge on network compatibility, potential for profitability and the quality of the acquisition target’s management team. Although he hesitated to offer any clues about the outcome of the analysis, Hogan spoke in relatively positive terms about the potential strong network relationship between Alitalia in the south of Europe, Etihad equity partner Air Berlin in the north of Europe and Etihad itself with a strong base in the Arabian Gulf.
