Etihad Airways’ cargo unit expands to West Africa

On Nov 14, 2012

Etihad Cargo, a division of Etihad Airways, will re-introduce a weekly freighter service from Abu Dhabi to Lagos, Nigeria effective November 15, 2012, the carrier has said.

According to Etihad, the Lagos service will be complemented by the addition of 16 new interline destinations across West Africa and these “will link Lagos with the cities of Libreville (Gabon), Pointe-Noire (Congo-Brazzaville), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Douala (Cameroon), Accra (Ghana), Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), Nouakchott (Mauritania), Conakry (Guinea), Bamako (Mali), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Cotonou (Benin), Monrovia (Liberia), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Port Harcourt (Nigeria) and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo).”

Etihad, in a statement, said the Abu Dhabi-Lagos freighter service will operate every Thursday using a Boeing 747-400F freighter, with a capacity of 124 tonnes.

“West Africa is a hugely important market for us, and we are delighted to offer freighter services to and beyond one of its gateway cities – Lagos,” said Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer.

“Via Lagos, these new destinations will also help cement the ever expanding trade ties between West Africa and the UAE,” Knight added.

By Ekow Quandzie