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Nina Varghese

Etihad Crystal Cargo, which is expanding its network this year, plans to add four new freighter aircraft to its fleet by 2006.

ETIHAD Airways has launched bi-weekly freighter services to Chennai from Abu Dhabi, making the city its second all-cargo destination. Mr Charles Phelps-Penry, Regional General Manager, South Asia for Etihad Airways, said that the airways had started freighter operations to Mumbai in February, and that it carried cargo on all its passenger flights to Delhi and Mumbai. India is a dynamic market for cargo services, he said.

The airline plans on networking other southern such as Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. The airline has fully utilised its frequencies under the air bilateral agreement. Talks are underway between the two governments to enhance services, he said.

The Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was established in 2003. Abu Dhabi, said Mr Phelps-Penry, was poised to become an important transit point for cargo between Asia and important European destinations. He said that the airline was studying the market and would be launching more products. The airline is committed to promoting Abu Dhabi as the ideal geo-strategic hub at the crossroads of the East and the West, Mr Phelps-Penry said.

He pointed out that Etihad was a relatively young airline in the aviation industry, and that it planned to double its services, in terms of frequency of flights and destinations.

Etihad Airways flies cargo to 19 destinations in West Asia, Europe and Asia. In addition to Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi, the network includes Amman, Bahrain, Bangkok, Beirut, Cairo and Colombo. The company plans to fly to 70 destinations by 2010, he said.

In the second phase, the airline plans to fly to the manufacturing economies of South East Asia.

Etihad Crystal Cargo currently flies scheduled freighter services to Mumbai, Chennai, Frankfurt, Milan, and Amman and will be expanding its network for scheduled and charter flights, with new services planned this year, to Khartoum, Almaty, Addis Ababa and Bangalore.

The airline operates two Airbus freighters — the A310-300F with a payload of up to 39 tonnes and the A300-600F that carries up to 44 tonnes.

In 2004, the first full year of operation, Etihad Crystal Cargo moved almost 20,000 tonnes of cargo. The target for 2005 is in excess of 1,00,000 tonnes. By the end of 2006, Etihad Crystal Cargo plans to add four new freighter aircraft to its fleet.

The airline will be targeting core cargo such as garments, chemicals and leather goods and will be transiting to destinations in Europe. Perishable cargo, such as marine products, fresh vegetables and fruits, which has been the traditional cargo to the Gulf regions, will be just 10 per cent.

Mr Phelps-Penry said that Etihad Crystal Cargo's services are based on three fundamental promises — information transparency like track and trace, using cutting edge technology and being customer centric.

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Etihad Airways: Promoting Abu Dhabi as a strategic cargo hub

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