Etihad Cargo is gearing itself up for a seasonal surge in demand for luxury vehicle shipments by launchjing ‘FlightValet’ – a product that aims to ease the process of moving motor vehicles across the globe.
The Abu Dhabi based carrier said it transports hundreds of high-value automotives annually on its passenger and freighter aircraft, and this new product will “further simplify the customers’ booking experience”.
FlightValet is available to customers who want transport their luxury vehicles immediately and is offered through a dedicated team that will oversee the swift, safe and secure delivery of the vehicle to its final destination.
Throughout the year, it will also cater to racing enthusiasts worldwide wishing to take their cars around iconic racetracks such as Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, home to the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2009.
Etihad Airways managing director of cargo and logistics, Abdulla Mohamed Shadid said: “We are delighted to introduce this new tailored product to the marketplace. Demand from our customers has grown significantly in recent years, and in an effort to improve our service offering, we have introduced vehicle handling capability at key new stations in 2018.”
In addition to individual customers, FlightValet will also offer car dealers and manufacturers the opportunity to move vehicles globally with more ease, with particular readiness to cater to the Italian supercars market at Milan Malpensa airport on Etihad Airways passenger aircraft, as well as chartered and scheduled freighter aircraft.
Shadid added: “FlightValet is the latest addition to Etihad Cargo’s suite of high-value products, which includes our arts and musical instruments product FlyCulture, launched last year with the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and our signature pharma and life sciences product TempCheck, to name just a few.
“This is a key part of our strategy to leverage Abu Dhabi’s natural position as a logistics centre for the world, and drive growth in Air Cargo high-value product segments that diversify our portfolio and reinforce our position as the air cargo partner of choice.”
