Etihad Cargo is opening five new cargo routes in the UAE using Etihad Airways Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft.
The company plans to add five additional routes using bellyhold capacity on Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft. The new routes would be between Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Melbourne (Australia), Chennai (India), Kerala (india), Karachi (Pakistan), and Amsterdam (the Netherlands), as outlined in the company’s statement on April 10, 2020.
Passenger freighters already operate scheduled cargo-only flights to Seoul, Beijing, Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Riyadh.
Etihad Cargo would use the new flights to increase the flow of essential supplies (such as meat, fish and seafood, fruits, and vegetables, in addition to pharmaceuticals and medical supplies) into the United Arab Emirates.
Etihad Cargo has also operated a series of special charters to carry urgent consignments of medical supplies from mainland China and Hong Kong to destinations in Europe and the Americas. As the national airline of the UAE, Etihad is working closely with government authorities to provide such consignments having recently concluded dedicated cargo charters to Serbia, Greece, Chad, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Italy.
Etihad Airways has suspended the majority of its passenger flights due to COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent travel bans. While the airline is still flying a small number of daily outbound flights, repatriating non-UAE citizens. From April 5 to April 21, 2020, the carrier is flying to Seoul, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta, Amsterdam, and Melbourne. All of its other passenger flights, particularly those to, from and via Abu Dhabi, have been suspended until further notice.