Etihad buys Heathrow slots from Jet for $70 million

DUBAI (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways paid $70 million to Jet Airways to buy three pairs of Jet's slots at London's Heathrow Airport, the Gulf carrier said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The purchase is part of a sale and leaseback agreement signed on Tuesday," the statement said, adding that Jet would continue flying to London using the slots.

Etihad, which is in talks with Jet on possibly taking a stake in the Indian firm, added that discussions about further investment in the Indian airline were continuing. It did not elaborate.

(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Andrew Torchia)