Etihad Cargo will commence a weekly freighter service to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania today, June 13.  On the return sector to Abu Dhabi, the freighter will also stop in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dar es Salaam - Tanzania’s biggest city - is a major industrial and economic centre in East Africa, and following the first Etihad Cargo flight today, all subsequent weekly freighter services will operate every Monday to Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR).

Etihad Cargo will deploy one of its three Airbus A330-200 wide-body freighters on the route, offering customers heavy uplift capability of up to 64 metric tonnes.

Initially, the UAE airline expects the service to carry heavy electronics, medical equipment and food items to Dar es Salaam, with primarily perishable goods destined for the Gulf region and Europe loaded for the return flights.

Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, said: “Tanzania is a new market for Etihad Cargo, and our weekly Abu Dhabi-Dar es Salaam-Nairobi-Abu Dhabi routing will allow us to capitalise on the strong import and export demand to and from one of the fastest growing cities in Africa.

“This Dar es Salaam service will facilitate trade between the UAE and Tanzania, in addition to offering customers across the Middle East, subcontinent and Europe bidirectional maindeck cargo solutions to and from a major trading centre on the African continent.”

Etihad Cargo is the fast-growing freight business of UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways, offering services to 103 destinations internationally.  The carrier operates a fleet of nine freighters, consisting of three Airbus A330-200F, three Boeing B777F, and three Boeing 747F.

Later this month, Etihad Cargo will take delivery of one new freighter, an Airbus A330-200F. – TradeArabia News Service