Etihad Cargo records growth ad e-com demand surges

Etihad Cargo witnessed growth due to rising e-commerce and electronics demand and the airline is hoping its new relationships covering the sector will help boost performance this year, said Leonard Rodrigues, acting manager director, head of revenue management & network planning, adding that much of the rise in demand from e-commerce and electronics companies was driven by increased volumes of new smartphone models. The airline was able to meet this demand with dedicated freighter charters. “Etihad Cargo reserves freighter availability for these projects so that we have the capability to fully meet demand,” he said in reports. “This combined with our express and e-commerce capabilities, our efficiency in handling this type of cargo and Abu Dhabi’s strategic geographical location makes Abu Dhabi International Airport an ideal hub location for the transit of these charters.” Rodrigues also pointed to Etihad’s recent reciprocal blockspace agreement with Chinese express carrier SF Airlines as an example of how it had partnered with firms to meet demand for e-commerce. The partnership saw Etihad add flights to SF Airlines’ Ezhou hub and therefore improve connectivity with China’s five national-level city clusters and 25 domestic destinations via the airport’s transportation infrastructure, including railway, waterway, expressway and air links.