CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Abu Dhabi expects in December to open a controversial facility to clear passengers for US customs and immigration, Etihad Airways Chief Executive James Hogan said Thursday. Etihad Airways Chief Executive James Hogan said he hopes a US customs post in Abu Dhabi will support the carrier's expansion plans. The post would support Etihad's expansion as an international carrier and boost its base in Abu Dhabi as a global aviation hub, he said. Etihad is the United Arab Emirates' national airline. The US and Abu Dhabi agreed in April to establish a base in the emirate for US Customs and Border Protection agents to screen passengers on US-bound flights before departure, allowing them to bypass long lines on arrival. The US has similar posts in Canada, Ireland and several other countries near or closely allied with the US. The Abu Dhabi facility would be the first in the Mideast and has drawn accusations from US airlines, pilots and politicians that the administration of President Barack Obama had struck a deal that would benefit Etihad at the expense of US carriers. The Air Line Pilots Association, North America's largest pilots union, has called the plan “misguided” and an unjustified use of US tax dollars. A spokeswoman for US Customs and Border Protection said Monday that the agreement would “enhance our aviation security by allowing US security officials to screen passengers before they board flights.” That would protect US citizens “while also streamlining legitimate travel and commerce,” she said. The US government declined to comment on when the facility, which will be partially funded by Abu Dhabi, would open. Hogan said Etihad is targeting the globe's busiest spots to fill the airline's fleet, which is set to more than double in size over the next several years. India is a priority for Etihad, which bought a 24 percent stake in Jet Airways (India) Ltd. following the recent liberalization of the country's rules on foreign ownership. “India is highly regulated, but there are 40 million outbound Indians a year, and this is expected to grow 10 per annum,” Hogan said before the annual meeting here of the International Air Transport Association, the industry's biggest trade group. Etihad has made similar investments in Air Berlin PLC, Virgin Australia Airlines Pty. Ltd., Ireland's Aer Lingus PLC and Air Seychelles Ltd. Jet Airways gives Etihad access to one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets. “The implications of our deal with Jet are much greater than our other deals because of the size of the market,” Hogan said. Some people in the industry have questioned Etihad's strategy of buying minority stakes in other airlines, in part because similar investments have failed to deliver profits to other leading carriers in recent decades. — Agencies
