Etihad Cargo has announced a new direct weekly freighter operation from Abu Dhabi to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The new service will operate every Thursday using an Airbus A330-200F freighter, with a capacity of 68 metric tonnes.

Guangzhou is the third largest city in China, the capital of the Guangdong province and is a major centre for the manufacturing of electronic goods, Etihad said.

Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways chief strategy and planning officer, said: "China is a strategically important market for Etihad Cargo, and the new Guangzhou-Abu Dhabi freighter service will allow us to capitalise on the strong export demand coming out of southern China."

He added in addition, "whilst we expect to see strong onward trade flows over our Abu Dhabi cargo hub to destinations across the Middle East and Africa, ultimately this service will further strengthen the already strong trade ties between the UAE and China."

Etihad Cargo already operates nine weekly freighter services between Abu Dhabi and the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Beijing.