Originally Posted by
thbe
Let's see. If EY goes on expanding in China and/or Africa, I'm right. If EY stops to expand everywhere, you are right.
No-one is saying that Etihad will never, ever expand again.
But they are certainly paused for 2017.
Originally Posted by
CAPA
For the first time in over a decade, a Gulf superconnector airline will reduce its annual capacity. Etihad is forecast to cut ASKs by 4% in 2017. Emirates and Qatar Airways will have their slowest growth expansion in a decade, but in terms of net capacity addition 2017's production increase is the slowest in about five years.
Etihad is contracting in all regions except Western Europe and Australia in 2017. The largest cuts will be in South America, North America and Southeast Asia, although this does not necessarily correlate to regional profitability. Despite the reduction Etihad's frequencies will be up 1% in 2017, mostly in Western Europe and South Asia.
There you go. No expansion in China or Africa in 2017. Contraction in all regions except Western Europe and Australia in 2017.
It's not at all that Trump is causing them to put any potential growth they were planning into other regions.
They are simply not planning on growing at all in 2017. Even if had been a Clinton administration, which with its first act tossed out the "Airlines For America" claims and rolled out the red carpet for the Middle Eastern Airlines, Etihad is not currently in a position where it would likely have been able to add US capacity.