Etihad Cargo has awarded Jettainer a five-year contract to provide and manage unit load devices (ULDs).

"For over a decade, Jettainer has helped to deliver significant efficiency gains for the United Arab Emirates' national carrier, ensuring the uninterrupted availability of ULDs even in challenging times. Following a comprehensive analysis that identified business development opportunities for the airline, the ULD expert will digitalise Etihad Cargo's entire ULD fleet and equip it with Bluetooth low energy (BLE) tags," says an announcement by Etihad Cargo. The tags will enable Etihad Cargo to collect and use meaningful data for its business development and further automate processes.

The partnership between Etihad Cargo and Jettainer started in 2011 with the global management of the ULD fleet. The companies have consistently strengthened their partnership and expanded the range of services, the statement said. "This includes deploying an Abu Dhabi based operating team, using lightweight containers and rolling out Jettainer's cool & fly service during the pandemic to streamline processes, reduce costs and contribute to both companies' sustainability roadmap. By bringing the vast majority of ULD services together at a single source, Jettainer optimises processes, ensures swift and seamless communication and delivers cost savings for the airline."

Thomas Schürmann, Head of Cargo Operations and Delivery, Etihad Cargo, says: "Despite the challenges the air freight and cargo sectors have faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Etihad Cargo has continued to grow and evolve. It has been critical for us to work with partners who understand our objectives and can help us achieve our ambitious targets. The Jettainer team has been offering us reliable and innovative services around the clock to meet our needs for over ten years now. The solutions offered by Jettainer have contributed to our success in continuously improving and optimising Etihad Cargo's ULD fleet, which has enabled us to reduce costs and gain efficiencies. As the market has evolved, so has Etihad Cargo, and we are confident Jettainer can continue to support us in delivering world-class services to our partners and customers.

Thorsten Riekert, Chief Sales Officer, Jettainer added: "It's important to us that we embrace innovation and digitalisation. That's why we are equipping our customers' ULD fleets with tracking technology where it is meaningful – and that's exactly what we've seen at Etihad Cargo. Our longstanding partnership and our recent contract extension with Etihad Cargo confirms that we work well together and further motivates us to continue offering outstanding service and achieve additional growth together in the future."