Etihad Cargo restarts China-India freighter flights to meet industrial demand

Etihad Cargo is restarting freighter flights between China and India as it targets industrial and manufacturing volumes.

The new service will operate twice per week between Shanghai and Chennai and supports India’s “booming market, which has witnessed an increase in manufacturing and industrial production post-pandemic.”

The first flight will take place on December 8 and will be operated by a B777 freighter.

Martin Drew, senior vice president global sales & cargo at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “[India’s] industrial production is rising and manufacturing output is rebounding, driven by increases in the production of machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and metals, among others.

“As part of Etihad Cargo’s commitment to supporting this key market, the carrier has opened up freighter capacity from Chennai to support increased demand from customers in the region.”

In total, Etihad Cargo offers capacity on 79 weekly flights to India and 11 flights per week to mainland China, providing a total capacity of around 2,000 tonnes from both locations.

This latest addition to Etihad Cargo’s network follows the introduction of twice-weekly direct flights to Guangzhou.

“With the introduction of this destination to the carrier’s network, Etihad Cargo became the first international airline to operate long-haul cargo and passenger services to the top three Chinese gateways — Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou — since the beginning of the pandemic,” the carrier said.

“In addition to expanding operations in China and India, Etihad Cargo has continuously reviewed its global network, adding destinations and frequencies, and is optimising freighter utilisation to support key trade lanes and customer demand.”