Etihad’s James Hogan Named One of the 25 Most Influential Business Travel Executives in 2015

Etihad Airways President and CEO James Hogan.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, was recently recognized as one of the 25 most influential business travel executives by Business Travel News (BTN), the premier industry publication for corporate travel news. The 2015 list of industry honorees was announced last week at The BTN Group’s Business Travel Trends & Forecasts conference in New York City.

This year’s publication marks the 32nd annual list of Business Travel News’ most influential business travel executives. This prestigious listing recognizes those who have most influenced the business travel industry over the past year.

“BTN identified Mr. Hogan early in the year as a person to watch,” said Elizabeth West, Business Travel News’ Editor-In-Chief.

Ms West said that the completion of Etihad’s purchase of a 49 percent stake in Alitalia last December underscored Hogan’s dedication to a bold equity alliance strategy.

“This, along with his continued effort to place downward pressure on long-haul airfares, have earned him a spot on our annual list”, she added.

A key part of Etihad Airways’ unique growth strategy has been to take equity partnerships stakes in other airlines. This year, it took a 49 percent stake in Italian carrier Alitalia, adding to minority stakes in airberlin, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional.

“We are not about being the biggest -– Etihad Airways has always been about being the best and, through our three-prong strategy of organic growth, codeshares and equity partners, Etihad Airways has been able to compete effectively with carriers much longer established and much larger in size”, James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said.

Mr. Hogan was appointed President and Chief Executive of Etihad Airways in September 2006 and has more than 30 years of travel industry expertise. He has since overseen the rapid growth of the airline, which included the launch of six new routes on three continents during 2015, taking its global network of destinations to 116 with a fleet of 120 aircraft with more than 200 aircraft on firm order. The airline operates an expanding network of passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.