Etihad Cargo Ramps Up Freighter Capacities for Winter 2025 Schedule

Etihad Cargo, the air-freight arm of Etihad Airways, has announced a significant expansion of its dedicated freighter operations ahead of the Winter 2025 schedule. The initiative targets increased capacity, additional destinations and more frequent services to meet rising global demand.

In the new winter timetable, Etihad Cargo will introduce two additional weekly freighter flights to the UK’s East Midlands Airport - a move that underscores the carrier’s intent to serve high-volume trade lanes between the Gulf and Europe.

Meanwhile, key Asian production hubs will see enhanced freighter presence: flights to Shenzhen will increase by six per week, while services to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Ezhou will each see additional frequency.

On the Middle East / Europe front, cargo-only flights to Riyadh will increase by two per week, and freighter services to Paris–Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt will each get an extra weekly rotation.

Stanislas Brun, Chief Cargo Officer of Etihad Airways, shared, ‘Every shipment represents a connection that matters. 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’.

What It Means for Shippers

The upgraded freighter network brings several advantages:

• Greater capacity and flexibility: More freighter rotations provide additional lift opportunities, especially useful for time-sensitive items such as perishables, pharmaceuticals and electronics.

• Expanded trade lanes: The combination of new and enhanced services to/from Asia, Europe and the Middle East gives cargo customers more routing options.

• Stronger hub connectivity: Etihad Cargo’s base in Abu Dhabi reinforces its position as a major trans-shipment node—shippers can leverage the network for multi-leg routing and improved transit times.

Operational Impact and Strategic Context

The move comes at a time when global air-cargo markets are contending with shifting supply-chain dynamics, increased e-commerce volumes and pressure on freighter capacity. By adding dedicated freighter capacity on high-demand corridors, Etihad Cargo is positioning itself to capitalise on these trends.

While many carriers are increasingly focussing on belly-hold capacity via passenger flights, the dedicated freighter expansion signals a deeper commitment to cargo-only services.

The expanded freighter schedule builds on Etihad Airways’ 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.

For customers and forwarders working with Etihad Cargo, the clear message is: now’s the time to review routing options, secure space early and tap into the enhanced freighter schedule to meet shipping deadlines this winter.