Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group, has said it achieved record revenue growth of 49 percent in 2021 with a 27 percent year-on-year increase in freight carried, contributing towards 55 percent of the group’s revenue.
“2021 was a milestone year for Etihad Cargo,” said 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 729,200 tons, the highest since 2017,” he said.
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. In total, the carrier operated more than 6,000 passenger freighters throughout the year, with freighter utilization averaging 16.5 hours.
Premium products have also seen remarkable growth: PharmaLife, the carrier’s award-winning pharmaceutical shipment solution, achieved an 85 percent increase in revenue in 2020, while FreshForward increased by 26 percent, for transporting perishables.
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 compared to 2020.
Etihad Cargo said investing in digitalization has continued to be a key enabler to success and its new online booking portal reduced booking time to just 45 seconds.
Since its launch in October, the company has recorded a 36 percent increase in online bookings within three months of launching the new portal.