Etihad Cargo Extends Reach in Switzerland and U.S.

Etihad Cargo has enhanced its cargo operations to and from Switzerland and the USA, by offering bellyhold cargo capacity on flights between Abu Dhabi and Zurich and Los Angeles respectively.

Etihad Airways launched daily flights to both cities on 1 June, bringing the total number of Swiss destinations flown direct from its Abu Dhabi hub to two, and raising to four its network of direct US cities.

The airline already flies from Abu Dhabi to Geneva in Switzerland and to Chicago, New York and Washington D.C. in the US.

The new Abu Dhabi-Zurich services offer cargo customers 260 tonnes of weekly bellyhold uplift capability while flights between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles will offer 130 tonnes of weekly bellyhold volume.

Etihad Airways is deploying an Airbus A330-300 aircraft on the Abu Dhabi-Zurich route, with services to Los Angeles initially being operated by an Airbus A340-500 aircraft, before switching to a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft from 15 July.

“Switzerland and the US are key markets for us, and our new services to Zurich and Los Angeles provide shippers with convenient, daily access to points all across our global network,” said Kevin Knight, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Etihad Airways. “In total, we now offer just over 510 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity to and from Switzerland, and 940 tonnes to and from the US, with unique access out of both countries to the Gulf region, the Indian subcontinent market, Africa and many parts of Asia. Our new cargo capability to Zurich and Los Angeles will appeal particularly to the valuable goods, pharmaceutical, textile, machinery and fresh produce sectors, and we look forward to working with our customers to facilitate more trade across our network.”

The increase in cargo capacity comes against a background of rising tonnage flown by Etihad Cargo.

In 2013, Etihad Cargo carried more than 6,700 tonnes of goods to and from Switzerland, up 21% on 2012, while tonnage to and from the US over the same period rose 54% to 36,000 tonnes.