Logistics companies charter Etihad freighters to transport Chinese goods

Etihad Airways on Tuesday began operating two new freighter routes from China to Europe – one for a customer in Asia and the other a dedicated service flown on behalf of German logistics provider DB Schenker.

Etihad Cargo, which operates five Boeing 777 freighters in addition to managing cargo carried in the lower deck of the company’s passenger fleet, expanded its freighter network with the introduction of a weekly service to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The flight will offer an additional 110 tons of cargo capacity to businesses, Etihad said in a news release last month announcing the new destination.

The freighter service operates from Ezhou International Airport in China to Paris via Etihad’s hub in Abu Dhabi. The Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Zhengzhou, as well as Hong Kong and Hanoi, Vietnam, will also be connected to Paris through Etihad’s trucking network in China, which operates to and from Ezhou airport.

An Etihad Cargo representative said the airline operates the Abu Dhabi-to-Paris sector as a charter service for an Asian logistics provider. Etihad controls the return leg and sells the cargo space to its own customers. The statement didn’t explain which airline the freight management company uses to deliver shipments to Abu Dhabi for transfer to Etihad.

Etihad Cargo said the new Paris freighter route also meets growing demand for general cargo, e-commerce, automotive, pharmaceuticals and perishable products in the Middle East and Asia, with Abu Dhabi serving as a transfer point.

Etihad has sufficient flexibility in its cargo network to allocate capacity to charter service without reducing service levels for its customers, the representative explained. Etihad Cargo now operates all-cargo aircraft to 12 cities.

Etihad Cargo last year began a capacity-sharing partnership with Chinese express carrier SF Airlines under which each airline operates to the other’s hub airport and utilizes reserved space on connecting flights to extend their respective geographic reach beyond their own networks. Etihad, for example, helps SF Airlines reach Europe by transferring parcels in Abu Dhabi to passenger aircraft and freighters servicing the continent.

Ezhou airport is a dedicated cargo hub that has added 30 international and 53 domestic cargo routes since it opened in July 2022. It is the home base of Chinese express carrier SF Airlines. Last year, the airport processed more than 1.3 million tons of cargo, making it the fifth-largest airport in China for cargo.

DB Schenker rents Etihad freighter

Tuesday also marked the debut of a weekly private air service by DB Schenker operated by Etihad from Ezhou International Airport in China to Frankfurt, Germany. Etihad Cargo is supplying DB Schenker with one of its Boeing 777 cargo jets to carry a wide range of cargo, including e-commerce parcels, electronics, industrial goods, retail goods and automotive parts for Schenker customers. The freighter is scheduled to depart Ezhou each Tuesday and stop over in Abu Dhabi before arriving in Frankfurt the following day, according to a joint news release.

The companies estimate that annual cargo volume will exceed 5,700 tons. DB Schenker has responsibility for filling the aircraft with customer shipments.

DB Schenker said Ezhou’s location was a key factor in choosing to establish operations there. The airport is 47 miles from the industrial city of Wuhan and within one and a half hours by air of the manufacturing centers in South China. Three main railway lines, seven highways and five deepwater ports are within close proximity of the airport, providing shippers with multimodal distribution options in China. Aviation, logistics, health care, high-tech manufacturing and optoelectronics clusters are developing in the Ezhou region. DB Schenker said those industries will need more air cargo service to support their export activity.

“Ezhou Huahu International Airport not only boasts advanced infrastructure and efficient operational systems but also serves as a strategic node connecting international supply chains. We are optimistic about its development potential and have chosen it as our key air freight hub in Central China, enabling us to provide more efficient and reliable professional logistics and transportation solutions to our customers,” said Ramon He, DB Schenker’s senior vice president and head of airfreight for China and Hong Kong.

DB Schenker currently offers eight weekly charter flights departing from China – four bound for Europe and four to the United States. The newly launched Ezhou-Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt charter service will run through the end of the year, a company spokesman said. It is DB Schenker’s only regular full charter with Etihad.

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