Emirates and Etihad denied a report that claimed that the Dubai carrier is planning to take over the Abu Dhabi airline. On Thursday, a Bloomberg report cited unnamed sources as stating that Emirates was planning to take over Etihad in a move that will create the world’s largest airline. However, both the airlines dismissed the report. In a statement to Gulf Business, an Emirates spokesperson said: “Emirates does not comment on rumours or speculation”, adding “there is no truth to this rumour.” An Etihad spokesperson responded with a similar statement: ” There is no truth to this story.” In June, Emirates president Tim Clark confirmed that there were no immediate plans for a merger between the two airlines.