Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Aviation Group, launched its revamped online booking portal in October 2021 as part of the carrier’s ongoing digitalisation strategy. In the six months since its launch, the booking portal has attracted a surge in new users and bookings, with 45% of all bookings being made via the portal in April 2022. Etihad Cargo is confident portal bookings will reach 50% of all the carrier’s bookings in the coming months.

India ranks first with 95.8% adoption, with Hong Kong and China recording 95.4 per cent and 89.6%, respectively. There has also been an increase in new countries, including Vietnam, using the booking portal, demonstrating the portal’s popularity across geographies.

The online booking portal offers Etihad Cargo’s customers a more streamlined booking process that requires minimal data entry. This has enabled users to create and confirm bookings within 45 seconds. Development was based on a close collaboration with partners and customers to ensure it meets their evolving requirements. It offers in-demand features, such as booking templates and auto-suggestions for similar bookings.

Martin Drew, senior vice president – global sales and cargo, said: “Since the launch of the new online booking portal, Etihad Cargo has added several new features that have made creating and confirming bookings easier and faster than ever before. The enhanced look-to-book feature and the addition of a dynamic newsfeed and personalised dashboards have created a more intuitive process, which has resulted in higher quality booking data and a reduced need for booking modifications.

“The digitalisation journey has not stopped there. Etihad Cargo has also launched a Mandarin version of its website and, more recently, a Mandarin version of the new online booking portal, effectively removing the language barrier for Etihad Cargo’s customers in China – a key market for the carrier.”

Following the successful launch of the new online booking portal and positive customer feedback, Etihad Cargo is developing new customer-focused features in line with a wider digitalisation strategy. In Q2, Etihad Cargo’s customers will be able to create permanent bookings, enabling them to complete seasonal and bulk bookings with just a few clicks. Later in the year, the carrier will add online booking capabilities for more products and commodities while enhancing its analytics capabilities.