Etihad Cargo has announced five additional routes using Etihad Airways passenger aircraft to increase the flow of essential supplies into the UAE and provide further east-west connectivity between major markets.
The initiative follows Etihad Cargo?s launch of passenger freighter flights to 10 destinations, complementing its Boeing 777 freighter operations.
With these additional flights, Etihad Cargo will now operate more than 90 turnaround flights a week to 29 destinations in five continents using the combined fleet of dedicated Boeing 777 freighters and Boeing 787 passenger aircrafts.
Using bellyhold capacity on a mix of Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, Etihad Cargo has introduced services between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne, Chennai, Kerala, Karachi, and Amsterdam, in addition to passenger freighters already operating scheduled cargo-only flights to Seoul, Beijing, Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Riyadh.
The new routes is expected to further ensure continuity of fresh imports to the UAE including meat, fish and seafood, fruits, vegetables, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, as the nation is taking measures to ensure food security and national health amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, Etihad Cargo has operated a series of special charters to carry urgent consignments of medical supplies from mainland China and Hong Kong to destinations in Europe and the Americas. The UAE?s national airline is working closely with government authorities to provide such consignments having concluded cargo charters to Serbia, Greece, Chad, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Italy.
Abdulla Mohamed Shadid, managing director Cargo and Logistics at Etihad Aviation Group, said: ?We are also playing our part in supporting international requirements for essential freight, carrying significant consignments of goods between other nations.?
