Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Aviation Group, said it exceeded its operational performance targets in 2022.

The carrier achieved 80.5 per cent on-time-performance (OTP) for freighter departures and 84.1% OTP for freighter arrivals, ahead of its 80% target.

The carrier said it has also maintained a delivered-as-promised (DAP) rate of 86.6%, recording a 2.6% improvement compared to the previous year and over its target of 85%.

"Having achieved record revenue results in the first half of 2022, the focus for Etihad Cargo was building on this momentum to ensure the carrier continued to meet customers' capacity demands with agility," said Martin Drew, senior vice president – Global Sales & Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group.

"Exceeding OTP and DAP targets, which measure the carrier's ability to deliver cargo at the agreed time and the punctuality of its freighter fleet against schedule, demonstrates Etihad Cargo's strong commitment to reliability, building trust and being the air cargo partner of choice," he added.

Etihad Cargo said in 2022, it retired the last of its aircraft reconfigured to carry cargo-in-cabin.

While a surge in passenger demand impacted capacity, Etihad Cargo maintained a strong belly-to-freighter load factor, recording a 58% belly and 42% freighter load mix at the end of 2022.

The carrier noted that it has also achieved a load factor of 91% and a freighter utilisation rate of 14.3 hours.

Increased pharma volumes

Last year, Etihad Cargo achieved IATA CEIV Pharma recertification, demonstrating the carrier's full compliance with specific pharmaceutical regulations in terms of Good Distribution Practices (GDP), a quality system for warehouses and distribution centres dedicated to medicines.

It added that to further strengthen connections between Abu Dhabi and the rest of the world, Etihad Cargo developed over 1,330 IATA CEIV Pharma and GDP-certified trade lanes.

It said its global MOU linking Abu Dhabi and Belgium's pharma ecosystem, dedicated pharma sales team, and the establishment of Pharma Corridor 2.0 also contributed to an overall increase in pharmaceutical volumes.

The carrier noted that it also moved 6% more horses via its SkyStables product in 2022 compared to the previous year. Contributing to this increase was a six-month peak season for east-to-west and then west-to-east travel to coincide with major equine events and the horse-racing season.

In 2022, Etihad Cargo achieved IATA CEIV Live Animals certification, becoming the first airline in the Middle East and only the third globally to hold IATA's CEIV Live Animals, CEIV Fresh and CEIV Pharma certifications.

Etihad Cargo said the expansion of its global network was also a priority for the carrier in 2022.

"Etihad Cargo's customers have benefited from increased belly capacity on widebody passenger flights to key destinations, including Bangkok, Brussels, Dublin, Guangzhou, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London, Madrid, New York, Singapore and Vienna," Drew said.

The carrier also introduced additional freighter capacity, launching new services from Chennai and Shanghai.

In addition to expanding its global footprint, Etihad Cargo took strides in its digitalisation journey in 2022.

The carrier said it further enhanced its online booking portal and launched a Mandarin version of its website and booking portal to better meet the needs of customers in China, a key market for Etihad Cargo.

These have resulted in 39.3% of online bookings being made through the online booking portal.

Etihad Cargo noted, in particular, that 94.1% of all online bookings in China are completed via the portal.