Earlier this week, Etihad Cargo announced an increase in belly hold capacity for the Summer season.
This is thanks to the amount of new passenger routes starting up, where the benefit will be received the most.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
How is Etihad Cargo Increasing Their Capacity?
Etihad Cargo will provide extra belly hold cargo capacity on up to 100 new passenger flights for the Summer 2024 season.
This will include 23 weekly flights to eight new destinations, which are as follows:
- Antalya
- Bali
- Al-Qassim
- Jaipur
- Malaga
- Mykonos
- Nice
- Santorini
On top of this, Etihad Cargo is now offering belly hold capacity to Boston on a four times per week basis.
Furthermore, more capacity will be placed on increased passenger flights into Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Thanks to the increased passenger flights, this is enabling the growth of the cargo division of the carrier.
As per data from Planespotters.net, Etihad Cargo has five dedicated Boeing 777 Freighters at this present moment.
Furthermore, the belly hold capacity will be distributed amongst the passenger division of the airline, of which their fleet consists of:
- 14 Airbus A320 Family aircraft.
- 11 Airbus A321 Family aircraft.
- Five Airbus A350-1000s.
- Five Airbus A380s.
- Nine Boeing 777-300ERs.
- 43 Boeing 787 Dreamliner Family aircraft.
As the passenger side of the airline also receives delivery of more aircraft, this will no doubt increase the cargo capacity that the carrier can exploit.
Brun: Meeting Growing Demand for Freight…
Stanislas Brun, Vice President Cargo at Etihad Cargo had this to say on the extra capacity:
“With the launch of its summer schedule, Etihad Cargo will deliver significant benefits to its partners and customers, thanks to the added belly hold cargo capacity and enhanced connectivity to key markets.”
“The expansion of the airline’s passenger network, in combination with Etihad Cargo’s regular and charter freighter services, will substantially increase cargo capacity across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.”
“Introducing new routes and increased frequencies will reinforce the connections between Abu Dhabi and major global markets, effectively meeting the growing demand for cargo capacity.”
On top of this, it does appear that this isn’t the end of the growth plans for Etihad Cargo.
In their press release, they mentioned the following aspect:
“Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, the carrier is committed to continuously evaluating its network, increasing frequencies, launching new destinations and expanding cargo capacity to better serve its customers and remain the air cargo partner of choice.”
This would indicate that as more routes develop, so will the demand for such freighter services globally.
Overall…
In conclusion, the elevated frequencies from the passenger division of the airline is good news for Etihad Cargo.
As more commercial flights occur, this will increase the capacity for belly hold cargo flights.
Furthermore, as well as this increasing revenue for the passenger side, it will also increase for the cargo side too.
The proof is definitely in the pudding.
For the first quarter of this year, Etihad posted a record Q1 profit from record revenues of $1.5bn.
This surge is primarily driven by a strategic network expansion and a notable rise in passenger numbers.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on what comes next for the airline both on the passenger and freight side.
It is most definitely the perfect example of aligning one business model with another for maximised success and profitability.
But for now, all eyes will be on the performance of the overall group for the rest of 2024 and beyond.
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