Etihad Crystal Cargo, a division of Etihad Airways, has launched a weekly service from its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport to Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

The service operates an A300-600F freighter to Erbil with a payload of 42 tonnes on the route. The flights which commenced last month on March 26 operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The cargo flights to Erbil are Etihad’s second cargo service to Iraq, following a twice weekly service to Baghdad which commenced on September 11, 2010, said a statement from Etihad.

Des Vertannes, executive vice president of Cargo said: “We are very pleased to be operating our  second service to Iraq. Our service to Baghdad has built a strong customer base in the country and we look forward to continuing our contribution to developing commercial ties between the UAE and Iraq.”

With its fleet of two Airbus A300-600 aircraft and two MD11, Etihad Crystal Cargo has 22 cargo freighter destinations in the Middle East and Africa and 70 destinations across the globe.-TradeArabia News Service