Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and the Linfox-owned Armaguard Group have announced the formation of a joint venture to transport valuable goods around the globe.

The partnership will see Armaguard establish a presence in Abu Dhabi under its ACM brand - the brand used as the international face of Australian Armaguard services - known in Abu Dhabi as ACM UAE.

The announcement was made by Etihad Airways and Armaguard at Armaguard’s headquarters at Essendon Fields in Melbourne.

Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan said: “This new joint venture allows Etihad to enhance our growing global air freight business by leveraging the ground transport and security expertise of Armaguard to offer a new service for our freight customers across our extensive global network.

“The ability to transport precious cargo including jewellery, precious stones, gold, and artworks is an important next step for our cargo business - particularly given Abu Dhabi’s growing reputation as a capital for arts and culture, with world-famous organisations like the Louvre and the Guggenheim in the pipeline.

“Clearly Etihad is building a significant presence in Australia, with several strong partnerships - including our game-changing alliance with the Virgin Blue Group - and bases established across the country, and we are very pleased to be working with another great Australian company on this very important venture.”

Armaguard Managing Director, Keith Broadhouse, said the company was excited about expanding into the United Arab Emirates.

“Armaguard has been in New Zealand for some time under the international brand ACM and to be able to grow the ACM brand further is part of our international growth strategy.

“We have been looking at expanding beyond Australia and New Zealand for some time. Coupling our world’s best practise currency management model with the fastest growing five-star airline in the world will enable us to provide an outstanding service with superior reach.

“This expansion is a good fit for both Etihad and ACM as it reinforces our comprehensive growth strategies over the next 3-5 years.

“We look forward to a prosperous future with our new partner and the business opportunities this will present us with.”

Attending the announcement at Essendon Airport in Melbourne, Victorian Minister for Manufacturing, Exports and Trade, Richard Dalla-Riva congratulated both companies on the joint venture agreement.

“The Victorian Government welcomes this partnership which further strengthens our State as a regional leader in aviation services ranging from training and maintenance to airport design and management and now air freight security”.