Etihad cargo growth continues in Oct

Etihad Cargo, a division of Etihad Airways, carried a record 32,500 tonnes of freight in October, a 15 per cent increase on the same month last year. The figure is 2.2 per cent higher than September 2012, when the airline carried 31,800 tonnes. Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, Kevin Knight said: “The growth figures for October clearly demonstrate the continued strength of Etihad Cargo. “The impressive tonnage was achieved despite the dampening effect of the holidays for the Eid Al Adha celebration, which was offset by a big rise in demand for freight services in the Asia Pacific region, the Subcontinent and the United Kingdom. “Looking ahead, we expect to maintain strong freight performance over the final quarter of 2012.” Last month, Etihad Cargo reported record figures for the third quarter of 2012. The airline carried 93,560 tonnes in the period, up 18 per cent on the corresponding period last year (79,378 tonnes). October was also the month which saw the highest volume of cargo ever into and out of the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub, with over 58,000 tonnes processed and two record days in the period. Etihad Cargo flies to a total of 86 destinations internationally, operating a fleet of six freighters, consisting of one Airbus A300-600F, two Airbus A330-200F, one McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, one Boeing B777F and one Boeing B747-400F.