Etihad A330 delivered as cargo booms

Etihad Airways’ first A330-200 freighter departing Toulouse for Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways has taken delivery of its first A330-200 freighter. A second aircraft will arrive in October - adding to a leased fleet of two MD-11s and two A300 freighters.

The airline reported a 21 percent growth in tonnage and 30 percent growth in yield year-to-date over the same period in 2009. Revenue rose 57 percent.

The month of July saw a record uplift of 23,000 tonnes driven by increased volumes from Pakistan, Australia, China and Bangladesh. The UAE was the airline's top cargo destination.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ CEO, said: “The arrival of our new A330-200 freighter marks a new era in Etihad’s cargo services. The aircraft will bring us more payloads, at a reduced operating cost, and will offer us better connectivity in our flight network, with greater transfer flows.”