Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Airways, has added a fourth gateway destination to its Chinese network with the introduction of weekly flights to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in the Hubei province of China.

The inaugural flight arrived in the Hubei Province on April 29.

The airline currently offers five-passenger flights to Shanghai, Beijing Daxing and Guangzhou each week.

 Source: Etihad Cargo

In a statement, Etihad Cargo noted that with the commencement of two weekly freighter services between Abu Dhabi and Wuhan, Etihad Cargo will operate a total of ten freighter services to China, offering an additional 100 tonnes of cargo capacity into the Hubei Province each week.

This brings the carrier's total cargo capacity for China to 1,000 tonnes per week, including 850 tonnes of cargo capacity for Shanghai offered via eight weekly freighter services and two passenger flights.

It added that the new flights between Abu Dhabi and Wuhan will give Etihad Cargo's partners and customers greater accessibility to 25 domestic Chinese destinations, including Shenzhen, Dongguan, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Nanjing, via SF Airlines' road feeder service trucking network, further enhancing Etihad Cargo's connectivity and capabilities in the region.

"The addition of Wuhan to Etihad Cargo's Chinese network is the latest step in enhancing the carrier's capabilities in the region," said Martin Drew, senior vice president – Global Sales & Cargo.

"These flights will provide greater connectivity, market access and cargo capacity for Etihad Cargo’s customers, further strengthening the relationship between the UAE and China and positioning Abu Dhabi as a global logistics and express hub," he added.

Further expansion in China

Wuhan is the fourth Mainland Chinese destination to be added to Etihad Cargo's network.

The carrier will be increasing frequencies to China in the coming months to add further depth to its network and meet increasing capacity demands from customers in the UAE and China.