UAE national carrier Etihad Airways has carried a record load to and fro from its Abu Dhabi hub in September.
Etihad Cargo, which is a part of Etihad Airways, has carried record 45,175 tonnes in September from 31,826 tonnes in the same month last year, a 42 per cent increase, according to the airline.
The reason behind the increase is said to be a strong demand from countries such as India, Hong Kong, China and Germany.
“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,” Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, said.
Charter missions
The carrier flew 77 charter missions in the month, a 185 per cent increase from September 2012 which recorded 27 charters.
Notable charter operations included routing 200 tonnes of humanitarian and food aid from Abu Dhabi to Ouagadougou in West Africa, and transporting racing cars and spares from the UK and Italy to Singapore, then onwards to Seoul, South Korea.
The airline also performed a number of VIP cargo charters.
“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,” Knight said.
“Looking ahead to the end of Q4, we expect to see higher than average seasonal load factors,” he said.