Etihad Cargo has achieved year-on-year growth of the carrier’s dedicated cool chain products — PharmaLife and FreshForward in 2023.
The airline recorded the highest volumes of pharmaceuticals transported in Etihad Cargo’s history, achieving a 37 per cent increase in shipments compared to 2022.
The carrier also transported 10 per cent more fresh and perishable shipments, making 2023 the third consecutive year Etihad Cargo has achieved growth for both products despite challenging market conditions.
Contributing to the increase in cool chain volumes transported by Etihad Cargo in 2023 was the opening of the carrier’s dedicated pharma hub, which has doubled its cool chain storage and handling capacity.
Leonard Rodrigues, Acting Managing Director at Etihad Cargo, said: “Etihad Cargo is fully aligned with Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming a global logistics, pharmaceuticals and perishables hub.
“The carrier’s commitment to quality combined with continuous product and infrastructure enhancements has enabled Etihad Cargo to achieve significant growth and contribute to the creation of a more resilient and robust global cool chain.”
The consistent growth for the Abu Dhabi to Brussels lane has been a major contributing factor to Etihad Cargo achieving the highest recorded PharmaLife tonnage since the carrier’s inception.
Rodrigues added: “The establishment of Pharma Corridor 2.0 and an expansive global PharmaLife network has enabled Etihad Cargo to bring much-needed transparency, traceability and trackability to the sector, benefiting not only customers but also the global pharma supply chain.
“The unique collaboration and partnerships Etihad Cargo has pioneered have allowed the carrier to offer complete transparency on the status of temperature-controlled pharmaceutical shipments, recording quality, time, temperature, potential deviations and actions.
“Etihad Cargo is now actively exploring further opportunities to create additional corridors between Abu Dhabi and other key markets to bring these benefits to more regions critical to the manufacture and supply of pharmaceuticals.
“Leveraging the success of the Pharma Corridor, Etihad Cargo has launched Fresh Corridor 2.0 between Abu Dhabi and the Netherlands, resulting in a 42 per cent increase in fresh volumes transported.”
