JOY ORLEK THE LAUNCH by Etihad Airways in August this year of daily services between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi will considerably boost the airline’s cargo capacity on the route, offering customers access to 44 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. It’s been a quick growth spurt for the airline which launched its twice weekly service to Johannesburg in December 2005. It was granted additional frequencies late last year. “Etihad Crystal Cargo has achieved record load factors on the Johannesburg – Abu Dhabi route, increasing by over 138 000kgs in only 10 months,” says Rupert Batstone, acting executive vice president cargo. “Not only has Crystal Cargo grown steadily over the past 10 months, but the last quarter of 2006 saw us recording our best period ever on the South African route,” he said. “Shipments quadrupled from September to November last year, which leaves us incredibly optimistic for the beginning of 2007,” he added. With increased capacity on the way, perishables will be a strong growth focus as the airline targets a bigger share of fruit, vegetables and fish. “We are flying a good mix of cargo to a variety of destinations on Etihad’s network. Regular traffic includes fruit and vegetable to the Middle East – with further growth expected thanks to the additional frequencies – and hunting trophies to European destinations,” says Bryn Woolley, managing director of GSA Airline Cargo Resources (ACR). “Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad’s hub, offers an ideal geo–strategic position for the growing exports from South Africa. "It has become a strong, streamlined transhipment point for the Gulf from South Africa to other markets – amongst others the German market with focus on the automotive industry,” he said. Johannesburg is Etihad's fifth destination in Africa.
