The Abu Dhabi-based carrier is adding weekly frequencies to major Asian production centres and European distribution hubs, including a new East Midlands service
Etihad Cargo is adding extra freighter flights to Asia and Europe as it prepares for the peak season.
The changes will see the carrier expand capacity “across key production markets” in Asia with one extra flight per week to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Ezhou and six extra flights to Shenzhen.
In total, it will now fly to Shanghai eight times per week and Hong Kong seven times per week.
To Europe, the carrier recently added a new twice-weekly freighter service to East Midlands Airport to connect Abu Dhabi to the UK’s main distribution network for domestic and European deliveries and it will also add an extra weekly flight to both Frankfurt bringing weekly flights to (now four in total) and Paris CDG (now two in total) to support the “growing movement of goods and ensure greater flexibility for customers seeking efficient and reliable connections throughout the season”.
The carrier will also add an extra two weekly flight to Riyadh, bringing its weekly total to four.
The airline said the expansion strengthens key trade corridors across Asia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Europe, while "reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading logistics hub connecting East and West".
Etihad Cargo told Air Cargo News that the additional flights were enabled by the addition of extra capacity following its recent partnership with Atlas Air.
Stanislas Brun, chief cargo officer of Etihad Airways, said: "As we enter the busy winter period, increasing our network capacity and introducing new trade routes means giving our customers more ways to move their goods with reliability and care. Through this strategic expansion, we hope to continue empowering businesses and communities to thrive."
The carrier added that the expanded freighter schedule builds on the airline's recent announcement of 16 new passenger destinations launching between November 2025 and March 2026, including Addis Ababa, Algiers, Almaty, Baku, Bucharest, Chiang Mai, Kazan, Krabi, Medan, Medina, Phnom Penh, Tashkent, Tbilisi and Yerevan.
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