Etihad Cargo 2021 revenue up 49% to $1.73bn on record tonnage
Carrier operated more than 6,000 passenger freighters throughout the year with freighter utilisation avg16.5 hours
Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group, has reported a 49 percent increase in revenue growth in 2021 to $1.73 billion with a 27 percent year-on-year increase in freight carried, contributing 55 per cent of the group's revenue.
"2021 was a milestone year for Etihad Cargo," says Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group. "The Etihad Cargo team has worked closer than ever with partners and customers to address their demands and allocate necessary capacity, resulting in a record tonnage of 729,200 tonnes – the highest since 2017."
In Q1, Etihad Cargo temporarily modified five Boeing 777 aircraft to support cabin-loaded cargo, operating more than 800 charter and scheduled cargo flights in the new configuration in 2021, adding capacity along key strategic routes.
"By mid-2021, Etihad Cargo had announced the recovery of more than 90 percent of its network compared to pre-Covid levels. The carrier operated more than 6,000 passenger freighters throughout the year with freighter utilisation averaging 16.5 hours," an official statement said.
Premium products have also seen remarkable growth: PharmaLife, the carrier's award-winning pharmaceutical shipment solution achieved a 85 percent increase in revenue while FreshForward, for transporting perishables, increased by 26 per cent.
With the relaxation of travel restrictions, SkyStable, the carrier's dedicated equine transportation solution, grew by 28 percent, and SafeGuard, for transporting valuables, increased by 103 percent.
The UAE national carrier also maintained a Delivered As Promise (DAP) rate of 84 percent through the past 12 months and an on-time performance (OTP) of 84 percent. "It is testament to the hard work and commitment of the team that despite the challenges of the pandemic, Etihad Cargo has achieved its operational targets while meeting and exceeding customer expectations," Drew added.
Etihad Cargo continued to facilitate Covid-19 vaccine distribution, which contributes to 30 percent of its pharmaceutical shipments. Jointly with its partners at the HOPE Consortium, over 250 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been handed to over 40 countries.
The carrier is also exploring a proof of concept with SPEEDCARGO for using artificial intelligence to measure cargo dimensions and optimise space planning that will allow for improved capacity planning.
