Etihad Airways recovers most of pre-pandemic cargo network

Etihad Airways announced on Wednesday that its cargo deliveries have resumed close to pre-pandemic volumes. It followed the Abu Dhabi-based airline announcing major revenue decreases from last year.

Etihad Cargo — the airline’s cargo and logistics service — is flying to 90% of the destinations in its network before the COVID-19 pandemic. Its tonnage, which is a measurement of cargo, is up 20% from the same period in 2019, Etihad Airways said in a press release.

Etihad is the flagship airline of the United Arab Emirates. Along with the Dubai-based Emirates, Etihad stopped flying for a period in spring of 2020 before resuming limited flight services and gradually rebuilding its network.

Like other Gulf-based airlines, Etihad experienced massive losses due to the novel coronavirus and the accompanying downturn in global travel. In August of last year, Etihad reported a nearly $1 billion decrease in passenger flight revenue, leading to the airline cutting jobs.

On Tuesday, Etihad reported combined passenger and cargo revenues of $1.1 billion for the first half of 2021. The same figure for 2020 was $1.5 billion, meaning revenues have decreased by $400 million from last year. Wednesday’s cargo announcement was a more bullish piece of news from the airline.

Etihad is one of the preeminent airlines in the Middle East and Abu Dhabi is a major global transportation hub. Etihad has also played a key role in the normalization agreement between Israel and the UAE. In July, Etihad and the Israeli airline El Al announced joint flight bookings.