Etihad Cargo positive about new Guangzhou flights

Etihad Cargo is hoping to capitalise on the addition of new passenger flights to China in October.

The two weekly flights to Guangzhou will utilise B777 aircraft offering 30 tonnes of bellyhold cargo capacity per flight.

Etihad said it would be the first international airline to operate long-haul passenger and cargo services to the top three Chinese gateways since the start of the pandemic.

The carrier added direct passenger services to Beijing in July and also offers B777 freighter services to Shanghai.

With the introduction of an additional two direct passenger services to Guangzhou, Etihad Cargo will offer 1,520 tonnes of total cargo capacity into and out of China per week.

Martin Drew, Etihad Aviation group’s senior vice president global sales & cargo, said: “China remains a key strategic market for Etihad Cargo. The Chinese market contributes over 20% of the carrier’s cargo operations, and Etihad Cargo is further reinforcing its commitment to the market by expanding operations into Guangzhou.

“This is the latest step in Etihad Cargo’s commitment to its customers, providing more capacity along key routes to enable greater cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and China.”

Etihad Cargo said it exports a wide range of products from China to the UAE, Europe and the US, with electronics being the most widely transported product.

The additional service comes as passenger flights – and bellyhold cargo capacity – to China are only slowly recovering due to ongoing Covid restrictions in the country.