Etihad Airways (Arabic: الاتحاد al-ittiḥād) is a flag carrier, and the second-largest airline, of the United Arab Emirates, after Emirates. Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Abu Dhabi International Airport (OMAA-ICAO).tihad Airways is the third largest airline in the Middle East and it is the second largest airline in the UAE, after the Dubai-based airline Emirates. Its main base is Abu Dhabi International Airport.