Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, completed a year of strong growth in 2017. The air cargo carrier’s robust performance, set against the backdrop of a resurgent global air cargo market, was underlined by the introduction of specialised customer focused air transportation solutions across a number of industry verticals and by continued investment in infrastructure.
Between January and December 2017, Emirates SkyCargo’s hubs at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) saw a combined cargo throughput of over 2.5 million tonnes.
Specialised, Innovative products and solutions
In response to increasing demand from its customers, Emirates SkyCargo introduced a range of air transport solutions specific to industry verticals including Emirates Pharma, Emirates Wheels and Emirates Fresh.
Emirates Pharma, developed for the secure transportation of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals from origin to destination has been extremely well received by pharma customers worldwide. Volumes of pharmaceutical cargo travelling through Emirates SkyCargo have grown by 38% since launch. Emirates SkyCargo also worked with DuPont on developing a new thermal cover called White Cover Xtreme, offering enhanced protection for cargo in hot, cold and wet weather conditions. Emirates SkyCargo operates world class EU GDP certified facilities at its hub in Dubai to ensure secure transportation of life saving medicines and treatment.
Emirates Fresh has helped producers around the world transport fruits, vegetables, flowers and other perishables including fresh fish and meat. In 2017 Emirates SkyCargo transported over 285,000 tonnes of perishables across its network. In February Emirates SkyCargo unveiled a unique rose decal on one of its freighter aircraft to highlight the importance of air cargo to the floriculture industry.
With the introduction of Emirates Wheels, Emirates SkyCargo has been transporting close to 150 cars a month not only in the peak summer season, but throughout the year. In addition to individual customers, the air cargo carrier has worked with major car manufacturers and distributors to transport premium and luxury cars.
With its focus on structured and customised offerings, Emirates SkyCargo is well positioned to further address customer needs in 2018 in other sectors including e-commerce.
Industry partnerships
In May 2017, Emirates SkyCargo entered into a first of its kind strategic operational partnership with Cargolux. The two carriers started working together on a number of operational areas including block space and interline, aircraft charter and hub connectivity. In October Emirates SkyCargo and Cargolux announced a code share agreement for cargo. Emirates SkyCargo has had one Cargolux Boeing 747 freighter aircraft chartered full time since June 2017.
In the UAE, Emirates SkyCargo signed an MoU with Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre to become the space science centre’s preferred partner. In the e-commerce segment, the air cargo carrier entered into an understanding with Dubai CommerCity to develop new solutions for the global e-commerce industry and to strengthen Dubai’s position as a global hub for e-commerce.
Capacity and network
In addition to offering belly hold cargo capacity on its fleet of 254 wide body passenger aircraft, Emirates SkyCargo also offers freighter capacity on its fleet of 13 Boeing 777-Fs and one Boeing 747-400ERF. In 2017, Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet of freighters transported cargo to more than 140 destinations including scheduled and charter operations.
In addition to commencing scheduled freighter services to Luxembourg in June 2017, the air cargo carrier also increased frequency of freighter services to Hong Kong from 22 to 26 flights a week. Unique cargo transported onboard Emirates’ freighters included horses, luxury cars, boats, heavy equipment and aircraft engines.
Emirates SkyCargo facilitates global trade flows by transporting cargo across six continents and over 155 destinations. Freighters from the Emirates SkyCargo fleet connect over 40 scheduled destinations across the globe.
Accolades
Emirates SkyCargo is committed to excellence in service delivery and this was acknowledged in a number of industry forums. Some of the awards that Emirates SkyCargo won this year included the ‘Best Cargo Airline Middle East’ award at the annual Cargo Airline of the Year 2017 awards organised in London by Air Cargo News; ‘Best Air Cargo Carrier- Middle East’ at the 2017 Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards held in Singapore by Asia Cargo News; and the prestigious DHL Carrier Award for Reliability and Excellence (DHL CARE) for pharma in Singapore in June 2017.