‘We will evaluate new markets & opportunities in 2023’

Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group says, “As 2022 comes to a close, we have seen demand for air cargo soften when compared to 2021. While forecasts have been adjusted downwards, the air cargo sector is still projected to grow and outpace pre-pandemic levels in 2023. We will likely see a reduction in capacity constraints, especially out of the Asia Pacific region. We can expect to see some softening of global yield levels with the return of more belly-hold capacity. However, an imbalance between strong demand and available supply in key cargo origin markets along with a relatively high share of freighter capacity will continue to demand higher yields. Some of the challenges we have faced in 2022 will remain in 2023. We will need to closely monitor macroeconomic factors, high fuel prices, supply shortages and ongoing border and travel restrictions. However, even with these challenges, tremendous opportunities are available to carriers who are agile, work collaboratively with stakeholders across the sector, and can adapt to evolving market conditions. We are continuously exploring introducing new territories and countries and focusing on our existing network to provide market-leading services based on customer demand. As we come to the end of 2022 and look ahead to 2023, we will continue to evaluate new markets and opportunities to grow our offering to our customers as part of Etihad Cargo’s wider cargo strategy. Etihad Cargo has identified pharmaceuticals as a high-growth sector and is investing in infrastructure and new product features to enhance our PharmaLife offering. In the coming year and beyond, the pharmaceutical sector will increasingly feature more personalised medication and treatment, including cell and gene therapy. We are also exploring the utilisation of artificial intelligence to improve forecasting and automation to enhance our current capacity and capabilities to support the sector’s growth. We are investing in our CEIV Pharma-certified PharmaLife product, introducing enhanced features and solutions to ensure we anticipate and adapt to future trends and requirements.”