Etihad Airways has set its planned five-year sukuk at US$1.5b, the upper end of an expected range of $1.25b to $1.5b, banks leading the transaction said Wednesday. The UAE airline set the final spread for its debut Islamic debt issuance at 210 basis points over midswaps, after one bank involved said on Tuesday that final pricing was seen at around 215 basis points over midswaps. The allocation of the privately placed bond is expected to start on Wednesday and the bond will price immediately afterwards. The sukuk is being arranged by HSBC, JP Morgan and National Bank of Abu Dhabi. The bookrunners are Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank and First Gulf Bank.<br/>