In a statement, the transport safety watchdog said its investigators were expected to complete their evidence collection phase on Wednesday as part of their probe into the crash of Nautilus Aviation helicopter VH-ERH.
The news is likely to have significant ramifications for long-haul travel into Australia, given the tie-up with Virgin is a major incentive for customers to book travel with Etihad. Abu Dhabi itself offers onward connections to more than 130 destinations.
In its preliminary report, air crash investigators said voice recordings showed the pilot’s rate and volume of speech had “substantially lowered”.