Etihad Cargo takes delivery of Boeing 777 Freighter

Etihad Cargo has taken delivery of a new Boeing 777 freighter which will enable the freight arm of Etihad Airways to continue its expansion plans into 2016.

The aircraft, the 11th freighter in Etihad’s fleet, entered commercial service on 1 March.

Etihad Cargo announced it would take delivery of the two additional aircraft at the Dubai Air Show last year, and they form part of the $ 67 billion fleet order that was made in 2013 for 199 aircraft. The two additional freighter aircraft are valued at $ 637 million at list prices and the second freighter is expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi in March.

Both new aircraft will come equipped with nine seats allowing Etihad Cargo to carry additional grooms as part of its Sky Stables program, which supports high value equine movement. They will be the first aircraft in the Etihad Cargo fleet to be equipped in this way. Sky Stables is supervised by dedicated managers, supported by handling teams both in the air and on the ground, with horses currently being moved to destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas.

Etihad Airways Chief Strategy and Planning Officer Kevin Knight said, “The additional freighter gives us the opportunity to expand our specialist cargo services and grow our market share. Over the last year, we have been expanding into South America, Africa and Asia and the new aircraft will enhance capacity and enable us to increase frequency across our scheduled network, but importantly also increase our charter opportunities to growth areas of the world.”

During 2015, Etihad Cargo enhanced its global reach by offering bellyhold capacity on Etihad Airways’ six new passenger destinations to cities including Edinburgh, Madrid and Kolkatta. The airline already operates scheduled cargo services to the following freighter-only destinations: Hahn, San Juan, Bogota, Guangzhou, Dakar, Douala, Eldoret, Hanoi, Houston, Nouakchott, Sharjah and Tbilisi.

In its existing fleet, Etihad Cargo currently operates three Boeing 777Fs, three Boeing 747s and four Airbus A330s.

The Etihad Cargo division generates over $ 1 billion in revenue annually and reported strong cargo volumes for 2015, with 592,090 tonnes of freight and mail flown in total, a 4% increase over 2014’s figures. The cargo division also accounted for 88% of cargo imports, exports and transfers at Abu Dhabi International Airport.