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Etihad Cargo operates services to 68 destinations around the world. Image Credit: Supplied/Gulf News Archives

Abu Dhabi: Etihad Cargo achieved 80.5 per cent on-time-performance (OTP) for freighter departures and 84.1 per cent OTP for freighter arrivals, ahead of its 80 per cent target, in 2022, the company said on Wednesday.

The carrier also maintained a delivered-as-promised (DAP) rate of 86.6 per cent, a 2.6 per cent improvement compared to the previous year and over its target of 85 per cent.

Martin Drew, Senior Vice President – Global Sales & Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Having achieved record revenue results in the first half of 2022, the focus for Etihad Cargo was building on this momentum to ensure the carrier continued to meet customers’ capacity demands with agility. Exceeding OTP and DAP targets, which measure the carrier’s ability to deliver cargo at the agreed time and the punctuality of its freighter fleet against schedule, demonstrates Etihad Cargo’s strong commitment to reliability, building trust and being the air cargo partner of choice.”

Etihad Cargo retire the last of its aircraft reconfigured to carry cargo-in-cabin in 2022. While a surge in passenger demand impacted capacity, Etihad Cargo maintained a strong belly-to-freighter load factor, recording a 58 per cent belly and 42 per cent freighter load mix at the end of 2022. The carrier has also achieved a load factor of 91 per cent and a freighter utilisation rate of 14.3 hours.

The expansion of Etihad Cargo’s global network was a priority for the carrier in 2022. The airline offered additional cargo capacity with the introduction of new routes and increased frequencies.

“Etihad Cargo’s customers have benefited from increased belly capacity on widebody passenger flights to key destinations, including Bangkok, Brussels, Dublin, Guangzhou, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London, Madrid, New York, Singapore and Vienna,” said Drew. “The carrier also introduced additional freighter capacity, launching new services from Chennai and Shanghai. Through continuous review of its network, Etihad Cargo has responded to increased capacity demand with agility. The carrier will continue to work closely with its partners and customers so it can add capacity to meet evolving customer requirements and market conditions.”

Etihad Cargo operates services to 68 destinations around the world. Via its expansive road feeder services network, the carrier further connects 132 origin stations with 290 destination stations across the UAE, GCC, Europe, North America, Japan, India and Australia via a fleet of over 30,000 trucks.