Etihad Cargo, the freighter unit of Etihad Airways, has posted record monthly uplift figures for September of 45,175 tonnes, a 42 percent increase on the same month in 2012 (31,826 tonnes).
The carrier flew 77 charter missions in the month, up 185 percent on September 2012 including sending 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, it said in a statement.
It added that 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.
Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, Kevin 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: “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.”
He also said the Q4 outlook was positive, helped by the integration of subsidiary Etihad Airport Services – Cargo into the business, which will continue to deliver benefits for Etihad Cargo as well as other new freighter operators through Abu Dhabi.
“Looking ahead to the end of Q4, we expect to see higher than average seasonal load factors,” Knight said.
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