UAE's Etihad setting up British HQ

Abu Dhabi’s flag carrier Etihad Airways is rumoured to be setting up its first major call centre in the UK, according to British media. A report in the UK's The Telegraph newspaper claims the airline is said to be launching a European headquarters in Manchester, an industrial hub in Britain's north-west. The firm was not immediately available to comment on the report when contacted by Arabian Business. The company already has a smaller call centre in Manchester, in addition to offices in Abu Dhabi, Mumbai and Dublin. The new HQ is anticipated to provide 160 jobs, and will serve operations in the UK and Europe while providing out-of-hours services to other parts of the world. Sources say back-office and engineering jobs will eventually also be moved to Manchester, home of the Abu Dhabi-owned English Premier League football team Manchester City, which Etihad is sponsor of. With Abu Dhabi’s backing, the club has bought some of the best footballers in the world, and is in the process of building a GBP£100m (US$163m) state-of-the-art football campus.