Etihad Aviation Group named Antonoaldo Neves, the former head of Portugal’s flag carrier, as chief executive officer to succeed Tony Douglas, who is leaving after running the Abu Dhabi carrier for four years. Neves, 47, was CEO of state-owned airline TAP until 2020. Douglas is stepping down to pursue “a new opportunity elsewhere,” the Gulf carrier said Wednesday. Bloomberg News reported in September that Etihad had hired recruitment firms to seek a potential successor to Douglas, amid concern that the Briton was planning to leave to head up an airline being launched by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign Public Investment Fund. “As we’re entering our next phase of sustainable growth, we are confident that Antonoaldo will build on Tony’s legacy,” Etihad Chairman Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa said. A spokesman for PIF declined to comment on Douglas or its latest plans for the new national airline. The Saudi startup, part of the Vision 2030 push to make the economy less dependent on oil, is set to be based in the capital Riyadh and function alongside existing flag carrier Saudia, which predominantly serves Jeddah and the Hajj pilgrimage market.<br/>