While Etihad Airways let Alitalia slide into bankruptcy after workers spurned a restructuring plan, the Gulf carrier is showing more patience with its other ailing European asset. Etihad has agreed to provide Air Berlin with financial support for at least another 18 months, including E350m (US$382m) of new funds. That extra injection takes Etihad’s total exposure to Air Berlin close to E2b and suggests the Mideast company is not yet ready to abandon a partner which sits at the heart of a so-called Equity Alliance strategy. The fresh funding — combined with Etihad’s assertion that “what has happened at Alitalia does not affect how we view any of our other equity investments” — represent some show of faith in Air Berlin, which has racked up net losses of E2.7b in little over 6 years and has net debt of E1.2b. <br/>