Etihad Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group’s cargo and logistics arm, exceeded its operational performance targets in 2022. In freighter departures, the carrier achieved 80.5 percent on-time performance (OTP) and in freighter arrivals, it reached 84.1 percent. Over its target of 85 percent, the carrier has achieved a delivered-as-promised (DAP) rate of 86.6 percent, a 2.6 percent increase over last year.
The last Etihad Cargo aircraft reconfigured to carry cargo-in-cabin retired in 2022. Even with an increase in passenger demand, Etihad Cargo maintained a strong belly-to-freighter load factor, recording 58 percent belly and 42 percent freighter loads at the end of 2022. A load factor of 91 percent and a freighter utilization rate of 14.3 hours have also been achieved by the carrier.
Etihad Cargo has also seen growth across a number of its eight premium products. Despite a decrease in the movement of COVID-19 vaccines, the carrier’s award-winning PharmaLife product, which transports pharmaceuticals and life sciences, has achieved continuous growth. IATA CEIV Pharma certification was achieved by Etihad Cargo in 2022, demonstrating the carrier’s adherence to pharmaceutical regulations pertaining to Good Distribution Practices (GDP), which is an international quality system.
Etihad Cargo has developed over 1,330 IATA CEIV Pharma and GDP-certified trade lanes to ensure product integrity during transportation between Abu Dhabi and the rest of the world. Dedicated pharma sales team, Pharma Corridor 2.0 and MOU linking Abu Dhabi and Belgium’s pharma ecosystem also contributed to overall pharmaceutical volume growth.
In 2022, the carrier moved six percent more horses via its SkyStables product than in 2021. A six-month peak period for east-to-west and west-to-east travel coincided with major equine events and horse racing. The airline became the first airline in the Middle East and only the third worldwide to hold the trio of IATA’s CEIV Live Animals, CEIV Fresh, and CEIV Pharma certifications in 2022.
As part of its global network, Etihad Cargo offers services to 68 destinations. With a fleet of over 30,000 trucks, the carrier connects 132 origin stations with 290 destination stations across the UAE, GCC, Europe, North America, Japan, India and Australia. Etihad Cargo took strides in its digitalization journey in 2022 as well as expanding its global footprint.