Record November for Etihad Cargo; expansion continues

Etihad Cargo has posted record monthly revenues for November 2012 of US$ 65.8 million, up 21.2% on the same period last year (US$ 54.3 million).

The carrier lifted 32,633 tons of freight in the period, an 18.2% increase on November 2011 (27,628 tons).

The figures reflect the cargo operator’s continued upward momentum in what has been a record 2012 so far.

“2012 has been a great year for us. The latest impressive revenue and tonnage figures have been driven largely by strong sales out of Southern China and solid growth out of Europe and South East Asia,” said Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, Kevin Knight. “Yields have also held up compared to last year, and at the same time we have successfully grown volumes ahead of our capacity growth. Looking ahead, we expect to maintain strong freight performance over the final month of 2012.”

New Houston-Abu Dhabi freighter route

Etihad Cargo has also recently inaugurated a twice-weekly freighter operation from Houston, in the United States (US) to Abu Dhabi.

The new service departs Texas’ largest city every Tuesday and Friday and is operated in conjunction with existing wet-lease partner Atlas Air Worldwide, using a Boeing 747-8 freighter. Knight said, “Houston-Abu Dhabi will complement our existing belly-hold cargo capacity from Chicago and New York, and no doubt be a catalyst for strengthening the trade ties between our two countries.”

To date, Etihad Cargo has carried more than 110,000 tons of cargo to and from the US.