New Etihad Cargo Freighters Symbolize Expansion Strategy

Etihad Cargo liveried B747-8F.

Etihad Cargo has taken delivery of three new Boeing and Airbus wide-body freighters, bringing the carrier’s expanding fleet to nine aircraft, and heralding a massive 62 percent increase in tonnage uplift capability.

The latest arrival, a Boeing 747-8F, was unveiled to customers and partners at a special Etihad Cargo event held recently at Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies’ (ADAT).

In conjunction with Atlas Air, the freighter is being deployed on a new round the world scheduled routing taking in Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Chicago, Miami, Viracopos, Quito and Amsterdam.

Two other freighters recently joining the fleet include one Boeing 777F and one Airbus A330F.

“As Etihad Cargo continues to work closely with its partners and expands in step with the growth and development of Abu Dhabi, these freighters will significantly enhance our capability to deliver a world-class service to our customers,” said James Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Etihad Airways.

Last month Etihad Cargo signed a multi-year Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance agreement with Atlas Air to provide and operate the Boeing 747-8 Freighter with its 138-ton cargo capacity for the new ‘round the world’ routing schedule.

Etihad Cargo will continue to deploy capacity across new and existing trade lanes over Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

This year Etihad Cargo has expanded freighter services to new destinations, including Djibouti, Guangzhou, Lagos, Miami, Quito, Riyadh, Singapore, Sydney, Tbilisi, Vienna and Viracopos. In addition there have been frequency increases on a number of routes, including Dhaka, Frankfurt and Khartoum.