The 2 airlines signed a reciprocal capacity agreement in April 2023, which saw the launch of 2 weekly freighter services between Abu Dhabi Airport and Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, giving Etihad Cargo customers greater access to China and expanding SF Airlines’ presence in the Middle East.
The new MOU signed on 16 June expands the cooperation and strengthens their commitment to grow and expand their networks via Abu Dhabi and Wuhan.
Future plans include more flights to Ezhou Huahu Airport, which would make Etihad Airways the first international airline other than SF Airlines to operate flights to the airport.
With the new agreement, the airlines will review services between Abu Dhabi and Wuhan with a view of increasing frequencies to meet capacity demand from customers and partners in the UAE, China and around the world.
Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways, says, “The agreement between Etihad Airways and SF Airlines will contribute to achieving the emirate's ambitious strategic plans. It was a pleasure to welcome such prominent visitors from SF Airlines' leadership to the country's capital. Etihad Cargo looks forward to expanding the agreement between the two airlines to not only benefit the partners and customers of both airlines but also broaden the strong ties between the UAE and China.”
Li Sheng, Vice President of SF Group and Chairman of SF Airlines, says, “By expanding this cooperation between SF Airlines and Etihad Airways, we will continue strongly supporting and improving both parties' service capabilities, and provide global consumers with more convenient and reliable services.”