Etihad Cargo looks forward to A350F future
28 / 02 / 2024
A350F Etihad Cargo. Photo: Airbus
Etihad Cargo has set its sights on expansion and the Airbus A350 freighters due to join its fleet in the next few years are an important part of this plan.
The production freighters will help Etihad Cargo meet increased demand for cargo capacity, driven by double-digit growth of the carrier’s PharmaLife and FreshForward products and the surge in e-commerce demand.
The airline, which currently has a fleet of five Boeing 777Fs, has seven production A350Fs on order that are due to be delivered from 2026.
Reflecting on the airline’s firm order for the A350Fs in August 2022, Leonard Rodrigues, head of revenue management & network planning, told Air Cargo News that in line with Etihad Cargo’s growth of 10% per year, the order was a logical move for the airline.
The passenger fleet already includes five A350s, and there are nine more on order due to be received starting next year, so Etihad is familiar with the aircraft type.
“We know the performance of the aircraft and the specifications, because we have the A350 passenger aircraft,” said Rodrigues.
In the end, it all comes down to “cost leadership”, according to Rodrigues, and the A350 delivers cost efficiencies that will benefit Etihad’s business.
Speaking about the composite materials of the 111-tonne payload capability freighter and its consequent lighter take-off weight, plus lower fuel consumption and emissions than previous models, he said: “A situation where you can, in general, cut 20% of fuel burn and then increase your capacity by 10% which combined contribute to an improvement in cost per ATK.”
Additionally, he pointed out that given the timelines involved for development of new freighter models, opportunities are limited to make these kinds of efficiency improvements.
“You don’t have a new generation freighter every year. It happens every 15- 20 years on average,” Rodrigues highlighted.
For example, he said, deliveries of the first 777F production freighters were in 2009, while the first A350Fs will be available out in 2026.
“It’s a relatively robust business case for airlines that want to continue operating freighters to renew their fleet every 20 years as freighter aircraft tend to depreciate less the passenger counterpart.”
Etihad Airways firms up order for seven Airbus A350F freighters
