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Etihad Cargo, part of UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways, has posted record monthly uplift figures for September of 45,175 tonnes, a 42 per cent increase on the same month in 2012 (31,826 tonnes).
Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, Kevin Knight, said: “This is the biggest monthly tonnage Etihad Cargo has ever carried across its network, and that’s a reflection of improved capacity utilisation on our freighter fleet, more cargo in the bellyhold of our passenger aircraft, greater synergies with our global partners, and, importantly, a well-performing charter business.”
The carrier flew 77 charter missions in the month, up 185 per cent on September 2012 (27 charters).
Notable charter operations included routing 200 tonnes of humanitarian and food aid from Abu Dhabi to Ouagadougou in West Africa, and transporting racing cars and spares from the United Kingdom and Italy to Singapore, then onwards to Seoul, South Korea. The airline also performed a number of VIP cargo charters.
Strong demand out of Hong Kong, China, India and Germany played a role in Etihad Cargo carrying the record loads to and from its Abu Dhabi hub.
Mr Knight said: “A key driver in cargo continuing to perform well is down to us getting closer to our customers, understanding their challenges, and coming to them with competitive solutions, on routings they want, while adding value to their businesses.”
He added the Q4 2013 outlook was positive, helped by the integration of subsidiary Etihad Airport Services – Cargo into the business, which would continue to deliver benefits for Etihad Cargo as well as other new freighter operators through Abu Dhabi.
Mr Knight concluded: “Looking ahead to the end of Q4, we expect to see higher than average seasonal load factors.”
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