The aircraft fell from an altitude of 10,000 metres to zero in about three minutes, a steep fall given the size of the plane.
Etihad’s plans to take a 49 per cent stake in the Italian carrier has been held up by disagreements over Alitalia’s debt pile and plans for job cuts that have stoked outrage among Italian unions.
The planemaker has projected a need for 27,000 new pilots and 29,000 new technicians annually, as per its latest report.
Airlines have been rethinking flight routes since the downing of MH17 flight, earlier this month over a rebel-held area of eastern Ukraine.
The airline has been cutting down the number of routes it operates over the last few years, squeezed by regional unrest and tough market competition.
Emirates also suspended all its flights to Kiev and none of its planes fly over the Ukraine airspace.
Three civil aviation disasters within a span of eight days led to 464 fatalities this month.
Both carriers have been in talks for months, but a final agreement has been held up by negotiations over job cuts and a debt restructuring at Alitalia requested by Etihad.
The flight crashed in the West African state of Mali killing all 118 people on board.
The official did not give further details about where the plane crashed or what caused the accident.
Aviation authorities lost contact with the plane 50 minutes after take-off.
Passenger traffic through Dubai’s main airport dropped 8.5 per cent from a year earlier in June to 5.07 million people.
The airline currently operates three weekly flights on the Jeddah-Manchester route.
The low-cost carrier will operate direct flights to the Indian city five times a week from October 28.
Under the new plan, Jet Airways will widen its service network and increase frequencies on its existing routes.
Oman Air is among the first carriers to touch down, operating four flights a week from Muscat on Embraer 175 aircraft.
The officials said their assessments were backed up by evidence from social media and by intercepted conversations of known pro-Russian separatists.
The number of flights to the airport surged 31 per cent with the opening of both the runways, Dubai Airports said.
The issue of flying over conflict zones has come into sharp focus after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
The start of double-decker services marks the end of a long negotiating road for Emirates and start of new passenger transfer opportunities
Tim Clark said domestic regulators may decide to be more involved in giving their carriers guidance on where it is safe to fly.
The airline said the flight ban to Kiev would remain in effective until further notice.
The planemaker closed the Farnborough Airshow with total orders and commitments for 496 aircraft, including 121 for the A330neo.
New routes will better connect Etihad with Europe and Western Australia, the airline said in a statement.
Airlines temporarily operating into Al Maktoum Airport at DWC will return to Dubai’s main airport once it’s back to full capacity.
Emirates, the largest customer for the Airbus A380, had ordered 140 of the aircraft as of November.
Etihad’s chief executive said that the company wants to “guarantee the success and long-term viability of Alitalia” through the deal.
The biennial Farnborough Airshow has already outsold the 2012 show which saw $72 billion of orders and commitments.
The Gulf carrier also said it had agreed purchase rights to buy a further 50 777X aircraft.
At just one hour 45 minutes, the new flight will be Emirates shortest A380 route globally.