Skift Take
Like we've said before, at some point in the medium to long term, the world will be owned by a combo of Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Turkish airlines, as they look to expand globally.
During a demonstration flight of Boeing's new 787 high above the United Arab Emirates this summer, one of the plane-maker's representatives jokingly asked an Etihad Airways executive what was next on the airline's shopping list.
It wasn't planes he was talking about, but chunks of other airlines. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has snapped up stakes in four different carriers just since December, prompting speculation in aviation circles of more deals to come.
Etihad is not alone. The Gulf's three big airlines are all increasingly forging cross-border partnerships to extend their reach deeper into international markets. They are doing so even as they rapidly grow their own route networks and expand their fleets with billions of dollars' worth of new fuel-efficient planes.
Etihad and Aer Lingus announced a codeshare deal Monday designed to feed traffic into one another's networks, just months after Etihad bought a slice of the Irish carrier. Australia's Qantas says it is in talks with Dubai-based Emirates about potential alliances.
Qatar Airways, which last year bought more than a third of European freight airline Cargolux, wants to launch a new carrier to serve next-door Saudi Arabia's domestic market.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="420"] In this Monday, June 28, 2008 file phot
