Through the MoU, Etihad Cargo’s customers will benefit from additional capacity out of Nairobi through additional services to its hub in Abu Dhabi from 1 April.
The partnership enhances Etihad Cargo’s presence in Africa and builds on the Service Level Agreement (SLA) the 2 parties signed in 2021, its first Pharma Interline agreement, to transport pharmaceuticals across Africa.
The agreement builds on Astral Aviation’s expanding partnership with Abu Dhabi, which will see it operate more flights to the UAE’s capital, supported by Etihad Cargo.
Under the agreement, the 2 companies will share up to 50% of available capacity on the Nairobi-Abu Dhabi-Nairobi flights, increasing Etihad Cargo’s capacity for cargo and mail customers.
Martin Drew, Senior Vice President – Global Sales and Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group, says, “The partnership will enable Etihad Cargo to expand its African network and offer increased cargo capacity both into and out of Nairobi, strengthening the connection between the two cities via this key route and further developing this critical African gateway.”
Sanjeev Gadhia, CEO of Astral Aviation, adds, “We look forward to transporting perishables from Kenya into Abu Dhabi and beyond on Etihad’s network, and on the return with cargoes from Asia, USA and Europe to connect into Astral’s Intra African network in Nairobi. This cooperation will create new opportunities for our respective clients and will be a win-win partnership.”