Abu Dhabi has abandoned its goal of becoming a major air travel hub akin to Dubai and is instead reorganising its airline Etihad into a mid-sized carrier focused on direct flights in an attempt to return it to profit. Recently-appointed Etihad Airways Group CE Tony Douglas said Tuesday the airline was becoming "more rational" and would not shy away from dropping routes that were commercially unsustainable. After years of rapid expansion, Etihad plunged to a loss in 2016 following a slowdown in passenger traffic growth and failed investments in foreign airlines such as Air Berlin and Alitalia. It has been restructuring since, and Tuesday said it had reorganised into 7 business units directly reporting to Douglas, as opposed to individual businesses operating under a group structure set up by his predecessor. <br/>