LUG aircargo handling GmbH has signed a contract with Etihad Cargo to handle the carrier’s freight at Munich and Frankfurt Airports, effective from February and March 2017 respectively.

According to LUG, the agreement covers the handling of freighters, belly cargo and road feeder services for Etihad Airways and its partners such as Air Berlin.

Etihad serves Frankfurt with a weekly Airbus A330-200F and a weekly Boeing 777F flight, and operates two daily passenger flights to both Frankfurt and Munich with a combination of A330-200s, A330-300s and A340-600s.

“We are delighted that we have been able to convince a demanding customer such as Etihad Cargo of our high service quality and to land this big contract,” said Patrik Tschirch, managing director and CEO of LUG aircargo handling. “Key success factors for our cooperation will be a strong customer focus as well as our innovative and consistently efficient operational processes. We expect a freight throughput of some 50 000 tonnes per year. This gives the company a strong push. The national carrier of the United Arab Emirates with headquarters in Abu Dhabi is our first customer in the Middle East.”

Main exports from Germany to the Middle East and North Africa region, where the UAE is the second-largest market after Saudi Arabia, include cars, machinery and electrical and chemical products, while imports include aluminium and chemicals, according to LUG.