Etihad Airways is IPO-ready, but no date has been decided yet, says CEO

23/05/2025 01:55 AST

Etihad Airways is ready to go public whenever it gets a nod from the shareholders, but no date has been decided yet, its chief executive said.

"There is no date (to launch IPO), but we're ready. Let me be very transparent about that. We're ready to go the day the shareholder decides to go," said Antonoaldo Neves, Group CEO of Etihad Airways.

"We live in a situation where other airlines are buying back shares because they're making so much money that the shareholders are saying, 'Look, I want to buy back shares,'" he told Khaleej Times in an interview on Thursday.

He added that shareholders of other airlines believe that the company is making money and paying dividends, hence, they don't need capital. "Our balance sheet is very strong, so it's for the shareholder to decide (about going public). So there's no date defined," he said.

Quoting sources, Reuters reported in March 2025 that the Abu Dhabi-based national carrier will launch $1 billion.

In addition to Etihad Airways, the news about Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates Airlines has also been doing rounds for many years.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and Group, also said during a media interaction at the Arabian Travel Market in May that the airline is IPO-ready. He said that if the Dubai government asks the company to go public, I have to do it.

Many Dubai and Abu Dhabi companies have gone public over the past few years, as governments are looking to further deepen local stock markets.

There has been a strong demand for the UAE IPOs. The latest IPO of Dubai Residential REIT was oversubscribed 26 times.

On Wednesday, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways announced a record after-tax first-quarter profit of Dh685 million, an increase of 30 per cent, on the back of higher passenger numbers. Its revenues grew 15 per cent year-on-year, reaching Dh6.6 billion, driven by both passenger and cargo businesses.

It carried 5.0 million passengers, a 16 per cent increase year-on-year, with load factor improving to 87 per cent.

'Buying planes almost every month'
Last week, Etihad Airways said it was further expanding its fleet, confirming an order for 28 wide-body Boeing aircraft. The agreement includes a mix of Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft, powered by GE engines and supported by a services package. These aircraft are expected to join the fleet from 2028 onwards and will support Etihad's existing plans for growth in connectivity, operational efficiency, and guest experience.

Antonoaldo Neves said the airline has been "buying planes almost every month for the past two years. We had a fleet of 67-70 planes in 2022, now our fleet is 100 and planes don't come from the ground. We had to buy those planes and they're coming.

"We acquired recently, and we never announced, more than 60 planes over the past few years. They acquired and leased brand-new planes. We chose not to announce because we're not in the announcement business. Our business is to sell tickets. So every time we launch a new destination, we make a lot of noise," he said.

He said the latest announcement of 28 Boeing purchases during US President Donald Trump's UAE visit was made because it is a new fleet that is going to come after 2030.

"We will keep buying planes because we like to buy as we go. It's a different strategy and model from other airlines. We do that because we like to leave fleet optionality. I don't want to lock in my future. If I buy 200 planes today, I lock in my future and don't have flexibility," he said, adding he prefers to do smaller orders.