From March 29 to October 28, Etihad Cargo’s summer schedule will see weekly freighter flights added to European cities including Amsterdam, Milan and Paris, as well as increased freighter frequencies across major Asian and African cargo gateways. The network will also be expanded to capacity-constrained markets that are contending with decreased passenger operations or temporary travel bans in light of the coronavirus public health emergency.
In Asia, Etihad Cargo’s Hong Kong services twill double to four flights per week, while Hanoi gains a third-weekly service and Singapore a second weekly flight. These additions complete the currently operated seasonal winter schedule across China, India and Bangladesh.
In Europe, with two extra weekly freighter flights Amsterdam goes to five times weekly service, Milan moves to a twice-weekly turnaround freighter service, while Etihad Cargo will launch new freighter connections linking Abu Dhabi International Airport with Paris Charles De Gaulle. The same day return services will add 200 tonnes of incremental weekly freight capacity between the UAE and the French capital. These services will be complemented by the increase in services into Johannesburg and Nairobi, to twice weekly.
North America remains a key market with Etihad Cargo’s twice-weekly freighter service to Rickenbacker in the US, with stopovers on the inbound and outbound sectors offering key capacity between Europe and North America.
Abdulla Mohamed Shadid, Managing Director Cargo and Logistics at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “With widespread commercial flight restrictions in numerous international markets, the air cargo environment is evolving daily. After consulting closely with local and international authorities, our optimised summer freighter schedule is designed to significantly boost capacity and service customers in key cargo markets.”