Abu Dhabi’s national carrier Etihad on Thursday reported core operating losses of $1.7b in 2020, reflecting the severe toll of the coronavirus pandemic on the long-troubled airline that has lost billions in recent years. Etihad reported revenues of $2.7b in 2020 compared to $5.6b the year before, a precipitous decline it attributed to “drastically fewer people traveling” as the surging pandemic crippled air travel. But the airline, one of the Middle East’s top carriers, struggled with financial losses long before the pandemic wiped out the global aviation industry. Since 2016, Etihad has lost a total of $5.62b as it has aggressively bought up stakes in airlines from Europe to Asia to compete against the region’s other leading airlines. With cost-cutting measures, the company was just starting to recover from the economic pain early last year. <br/>