Etihad Airways to double Airbus cargo fleet

Etihad Airways has ordered two additional Airbus A330-200 freighter planes in a deal worth $423 million (Dh1.5 billion) at current list prices, the Abu Dhabi carrier said yesterday in a statement, adding that the move is aimed at doubling the size of its Airbus A330-200F fleet. Operating a cargo fleet of seven freighters at present, Etihad also has two Boeing 777 freighters on order, announced last December. "We are strongly committed to building our presence in the cargo sector with the platform of Abu Dhabi as our hub to connect global trade lanes," Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer James Hogan said in a statement. He added that the A330-200F is integral to the airline's growth. Etihad Airways, which was a launch customer and launch operator of the A330-200F, operates the planes on routes to Addis Ababa, Almaty, Beijing, Arbil, Frankfurt-Hahn, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Milan and Nairobi. The airline took delivery of its first A330-200F at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2010. Optimising network Commenting on Etihad's repeat order for the aircraft type, John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer, customers, said in a statement that the A330-200F enables the carrier to optimise its network by addressing markets which do not make business sense with large freighters. The latest order is set to boost cargo traffic in the UAE capital, which achieved a 10 per cent increase in 2011 over the previous year to 481,500 tonnes, the Abu Dhabi Airports Company said recently. Globally, however, cargo traffic has been declining, according to the latest estimates by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The global aviation body projects the cargo market to shrink further as 2012 starts amidst continuing economic uncertainty. IATA director general and CEO Tony Tyler said last November that freight markets had contracted four per cent compared to January. Meanwhile, Etihad Airways has been busy expanding its fleet in line with its aggressive route expansion strategy, having announced in December orders for 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners valued at $2.3 billion. Partnership Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, yesterday launched a new reciprocal codeshare agreement with Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of the Seychelles. The deal follows Wednesday's announcement that the Abu Dhabi-based airline would form a strategic partnership by taking a 40 per cent stake in the national carrier of the Seychelles. Under the first phase of the agreement, Etihad Airways customers will have the opportunity to travel to Praslin via Mahé and Air Seychelles customers will be able to travel non-stop to Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways. The new codeshare services are on sale and effective immediately on flights with both airlines.