Etihad Cargo carried record cargo tonnage in April and May 2014, pushing the carrier into the list of top 10 performing global air cargo operators, based on monthly WorldACD carrier rankings, it announced yesterday.
In April, Etihad Cargo moved 44,730 tonnes of cargo around the world, 30 per cent more than in the same period last year (34,352 tonnes). The month of May also saw impressive cargo tonnage flown across Etihad Cargo’s network with 48,869 tonnes of freight carried, up 31 per cent on May 2013 (37,403 tonnes), and an increase of nine per cent on the previous month.
“Moving onto the list of world’s top 10 is a great achievement and our intention is to continue building our business, create value for our partners, and support our customers,” said Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer.
“The impressive figures for April and May were driven by a combination of factors, including better capacity utilisation on routes to and from the Netherlands, United States and India, more bellyhold capacity to and from Munich, New York and Chengdu, enhanced scheduling, optimised connections, and a robust charter business.
“We also improved our global market share by meeting and exceeding the needs of our customers. Looking ahead, our growth projections for the remainder of 2014 are on track.
“At the end of this month we will take delivery of a fourth Airbus A330-200 freighter and, in the second half of 2014, have access to more bellyhold capability when 10 passenger aircraft are added to the fleet, routes to five new passenger destinations are launched, and frequencies to existing points are increased,” he added.