Etihad Airways, the UAE national airline, has been named as one of the founding members of the UAE Business Council in India, formed under the leadership of Saed Mohammed Saed Al Muhairi, Charge de Affairs, Embassy of UAE.

The council was officially opened by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, on Thursday at a special ceremony in New Delhi, said a statement from Etihad.

The airline was represented by Hareb Al Muhairy, senior vice president corporate and international affairs; Abdul Qader Hussein Ahmed, vice president government and international affairs, and Neerja Bhatia, the vice president India and the Indian Subcontinent.

Commenting on the move, president and CEO James Hogan said: "India is a crucial market not only for Etihad Airways but the UAE itself and therefore we welcomed the opportunity to become a founding member of the UAE Business Council in India."

“Our strategic partnership with Jet Airways means both airlines are now carrying greater numbers of business and leisure travellers between the UAE and India and we look forward to using these ties as well as many more as we make a strong contribution to the UAE Business Council,” he added.

The others in the council are First Gulf Bank; Emaar; DP World; Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank; Dnata; NMC; Lulu Group and Borouge.

One of the key objectives of the organisation is to act as a catalyst for commercial entities to exchange ideas which in turn promotes economic synergy between the UAE and India.-TradeArabia News Service