Head of Strategic Airline Partnerships & Alliances

About the role

Etihad Airways is seeking a senior leader to shape its global airline partnership strategy. The Head of Strategic Airline Partnerships & Alliances will define, negotiate and implement transformative agreements that expand Etihad’s network and deliver sustainable commercial value.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute the airline partnership agenda, including joint ventures, codeshares, interline agreements and innovative capacity arrangements.
• Lead complex commercial negotiations and secure internal approvals for major partnership investments.
• Build robust business cases and present recommendations to executive leadership and board‑level stakeholders.
• Govern and optimise existing alliances to ensure delivery of agreed commercial outcomes and profitability metrics.
• Drive cross‑functional collaboration with Revenue Management, Network Planning, Sales, Marketing, Loyalty, Cargo, Operations, Finance and Legal teams.

Required profile

• Minimum 12 years of aviation industry experience with significant leadership responsibility.
• Deep expertise in airline alliances, joint ventures, codeshares or network cooperation agreements.
• Proven track record of leading complex negotiations and delivering commercially successful outcomes.
• Experience building compelling business cases and influencing senior executive stakeholders.
• Strong stakeholder‑management and a global network of airline industry contacts.