Mike King, Special Correspondent | Jan 27, 2012 9:24AM EST
Etihad Crystal Cargo plans to buy A330-200 freighters, valued at roughly $423 million, as the Abu Dhabi-based carrier works to double its fleet capacity amid an industry slump.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier, which currently operates seven freighters and has two Boeing B777Fs on order, saw freight traffic grow 18 percent year-over-year in 2011 after boosting its network and fleet.
"We are strongly committed to building our presence in the cargo sector with the platform of Abu Dhabi as our hub to connect global trade lanes," said President and CEO James Hogan.
“We launched freighter services into Amsterdam, Cairo, Djibouti, Kabul and Kandahar during the year, increased operations to our key markets of China and India while growing Johannesburg by up to three freighters a week,” said Hogan.
-- Contact Mike King at michael@borderline.eu.com
