Emirates SkyCargo Builds Blueprint for Flexible Fleet
Adds frequency to New York and Shanghai
Emirates SkyCargo’s recent order for eight Boeing 777-200F freighters will provide the cargo division with an agile fleet mix to service short and long-haul routes as well as low and high-density markets. And while doing so, its belly-hold capacity to New York has been doubled with the recent launch of Emirates' double-daily service, and has likewise pumped up its payload capacity to Shanghai by 50 percent with the addition of a fifth and sixth frequency to the city of a Boeing 747-400F.
The Boeing 777-200F will have a range of approximately 5,000 nautical miles with a full payload, which ensures that Emirates SkyCargo can deploy the aircraft without technical stops to the farthest corners of Europe, Africa and Asia; and with one stop to the Western coasts of North and South America.
The freighter is designed to carry 103 tonnes of cargo payload, including outsized shipments, with a maximum take-off weight of 348 tonnes. It has the capacity to accommodate 27 pallets in the upper and 10 pallets in the lower deck and will feature temperature-controlled zones, ideal for commodities such as perishables and pharmaceuticals.
The freighters, which will enter the fleet from 2009, are expected to service the strong growth in the cargo industry over the next few years. Besides fleet flexibility, these freighters will significantly expand Emirates SkyCargo’s capacity and cater to its customers’ growing as well as changing needs.
The Boeing 777-200Fs will be part of a fleet that currently includes five 747-400Fs, one 747-200F and one Airbus A310F; and by end-December will see the addition of two more A310Fs. The two A380Fs on order are expected to enter the fleet from 2009. By 2012, Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet size will have grown to include around 20 freighters.
“Our order for the Boeing 777-200Fs is backed by a strong yet flexible business plan, which is based on our forecasted growth and expansion globally. As its A380s and other longer range passenger aircraft enter the Emirates fleet, our new freighters will serve to offset the constraint on belly-hold payloads. The freighters along with wide-bodied passenger aircraft will rationalize our fleet and capacity,” Ram Menen, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Cargo said.
“The right fleet mix will open up more opportunities worldwide, helping Emirates SkyCargo to create a truly global service network. In the coming years, the massive developments in Dubai, which is placed quite literally at the centre on the world map, will lead to a phenomenal growth in origin-destination cargo. And as the cargo carrier based in Dubai, we are definitely looking to leverage our presence here. Our core competency of creating global distribution networks will come into play, and by creating the right capacity we will be in a position to serve the world from Dubai,” he added.
Emirates new double-daily service to New York will pump up Emirates SkyCargo's capacity from 330 tonnes to 435 tonnes, an increase of more than 30 per cent. Emirates SkyCargo also serves the city with twice-weekly Boeing 747 freighter services offering a total capacity of 225 tonnes; and belly-hold capacity in the double-daily Airbus A340-500 aircraft that has a capacity of 15 tonnes.
The new service is expected to considerably boost Emirates SkyCargo's transport of time-sensitive consignments to New York. The night flight from Dubai allows the cargo division to carry mail, parcels and courier packages from integrators and post offices at the end of the working day from around its route network in the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Far East, Australasia and Africa. The flight arrives in New York in the morning, the shipments ready for onward delivery to companies and customers on the same day.
"New York is an extremely important destination for Emirates SkyCargo as currently it is our sole gateway into North America, the largest consumer economy in the world. The new service is critical as we are witnessing a strengthening of the U.S. dollar and an economic recovery, which will boost exports to the country even further,” said Peter Sedgley, Emirates' Vice President Cargo Commercial Operations.
"The early morning departure of our new daily service and our vast network mean that we are perfectly placed to better service customers for our range of Priority and time-sensitive products. Our well-timed connections ensure smooth deliveries across our vast global network," he added.
On the other hand, Emirates SkyCargo has ramped up its freighter services to the economic powerhouse China, and strengthened its freighter fleet with larger capacity.
Emirates SkyCargo is pumping up its payload capacity to Shanghai by 50 per cent, adding a fifth and sixth frequency to the city with a Boeing 747-400F, to cope with the demands made by the country's high-growth economy. The cargo division also offers an extensive network of scheduled trucking services in China, providing customers the speed of air transport as well as the convenience of local collection and delivery.
'Made in China' labels continue to dominate world markets, and the new flights are helping Emirates SkyCargo further the country's trade with the rest of the world - exporting electronics, garments and consumer goods in the main, while importing machinery, equipment, spares, chemicals and auto components.
To better support its worldwide expansion plans and ease capacity constraints, Emirates SkyCargo has replaced one of its two Boeing 747-200Fs with a 747-400F, which offers 120 tonnes of capacity - 15 tonnes more than the -200F.
"China is a key route for Emirates SkyCargo as the country has a strategic trade partnership with the UAE, valued at US$2 billion in 2004. What's more, the gigantic Dragon Mart in Dubai is the largest trading hub for products from China outside its mainland,” said Hiran Perera, Emirates' Vice President Cargo - Freighters.
"We transport Chinese goods to Dubai and worldwide, especially to South Africa, Uganda, Turkey, Germany, and other countries in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia. We are confident that our new freighter services will help alleviate capacity constraints on this key trade route for the rest of the world. The introduction of a Boeing 747-400F to replace one of our -200Fs is timely, as it helps us to counter our current capacity crunch."
Emirates SkyCargo also offers belly-hold services in its daily passenger flights to Shanghai, operated by an Airbus A340-300 offering 13 tonnes of payload capacity. Combined with 14 passenger services and 10 Boeing 747 freighter flights to Hong Kong, Emirates SkyCargo now offers in excess of 2,000 tonnes of capacity every week to and from China.
In February 2006, Emirates SkyCargo will launch daily belly-hold services to Beijing in the airline's passenger aircraft.
Photo caption:
Emirates SkyCargo's Boeing 747-400F serves Shanghai six times a week.
EMIRATES SKYCARGO UNVEILS NEW WEBSITE
www.skycargo.com <http://www.skycargo.com/> integrates SkyChain; Offers New Features, Design & Content
DUBAI, UAE, 4th September 2004 - Emirates SkyCargo has launched a brand new customer-centric website that integrates SkyChain, sports a fresh look bustling with exciting features, and has a shorter web address.
Users can access the new website
www.skycargo.com <http://www.skycargo.com/>, which represents a small but significant name change with the hyphen snipped off the previous web address
www.sky-cargo.com <http://www.sky-cargo.com/>.
From the homepage, registered customers can directly and conveniently use SkyChain, Emirates SkyCargo's one stop web shop, to check flight schedules and cargo capacity, use Quick Track to electronically follow a shipment's journey, print barcode labels and communicate with all the stakeholders on a shipment's logistics chain.
A nifty new feature on the website is the Price Quote, which offers all customers an instant estimate for air freighting shipments based on origin-destination and weight-volume factors.
The homepage also hosts information on Emirates SkyCargo's range of products and solutions, its latest corporate news and fuel index. Users can download an attractive and useful free screensaver that displays the local time in major cities. In the coming months, the site will also prominently display special offers and promotions, which will benefit users around its network that now spans 77 destinations in 54 countries.
Visitors to the
www.skycargo.com <http://www.skycargo.com/> can access the media site to view both the latest and its archived news articles, newsletters, photos and even a virtual tour of the Emirates SkyCargo Centre. The website is also a gateway to interesting local and international websites and links.
Prakash Nair, Emirates' Manager Network Cargo Sales Development said: "Our new website is a strategic tool in our phased implementation of customer-focussed solutions and now represents our brand name better. Its design and development was based on customer feedback and on our own research to address their evolving needs."
He added: "Besides a bright look and feel, the website offers customers speed, convenience, transparency, and empowers them with the latest information and communication tools. The new website prepares the groundwork for our new generation cargo system that will be rolled out in 2006."
www.skycargo.com <http://www.skycargo.com/> integrates all the features of both the previous websites - the information site on Emirates SkyCargo and transactional SkyChain - to create a single, unified portal. Registration is simple and free, and users trying to access any of the former websites will be automatically rerouted to the new website.
Emirates SkyCargo's SkyChain module continues its strong showing with transactions increasing by more than 65 per cent since last year. The cargo division has launched its new website fast on the heels of introducing a whole new range of products and solutions.
Photo caption:
The feature-packed homepage of
www.skycargo.com <http://www.skycargo.com/>
EMIRATES SKYCARGO TRANSPORTS MALTA BUILT
AC CARS TO NEW YORK
DUBAI, UAE, 3rd September 2005 - Emirates SkyCargo has been entrusted by BAS Ltd, exclusive agents for DHL Danzas Air & Ocean, to transfer two Malta-built AC MKV cars to New York, via Dubai.
In business since 1901, AC is the oldest British car manufacturing brand, which gained widespread popularity in the 1960s after the production of its original AC Cobra.
Alan Lubinsky, AC Cars Chairman and CEO said: "This new series AC MKV is in essence a modern recreation of the original AC Cobra. The car is constructed out of modern carbon fibre and has 345bhp engine supplied by Ford Racing of USA. It will soon be launched in Europe and the Middle East, and was seen at Emirates SkyCargo's hub in Dubai."
From Malta the cars were transported in Emirates' Boeing 777, while from Dubai the cars made their way to New York in its Boeing 747F, highlighting the smooth functioning and flexibility of the cargo division's services to its customers using a combination of belly-hold and freighter operations.
"AC Cars join an increasing number of local customers who are entrusting Emirates SkyCargo with their high-value as well as unusual shipments. Customers are aware that Emirates SkyCargo has become a market leader by placing innovation, flexibility and personal service at the heart of its operational philosophy. We have always focussed on a commitment to deliver as promised," said Mr L*** A. B***, Operations Director, at Emirates SkyCargo's GSA in Malta.
He explained that Malta has shown a steady increase in tonnage every year since Emirates began its operations to the country in 1998. "This year, Emirates SkyCargo has facilitated significant growth in exports from Malta," said Mr Bonello. "Our customers are delighted with SkyChain, our one-stop web shop which enables them to obtain information as well as transact business online."
Emirates SkyCargo, the award-winning airfreight division of the airline, is at present offering a weekly capacity of 40 tonnes of cargo in each direction between Malta and Dubai, the commercial hub of the Middle East. Emirates serves Malta thrice weekly, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
P*** F*** S***, Emirates' District Manager in Malta, said: "Emirates SkyCargo has quickly built a reputation in the aviation industry and in Malta for leading the cargo sector in innovation, flexibility and service. From 1st October 2005, Emirates will fly from Malta to Dubai four times weekly via Larnaca, Cyprus, using an Airbus A330-200 with a freight capacity of 13 tons each way."
From Malta, Emirates SkyCargo mainly transports semi-conductors, tuna fish, poultry vaccines, CCTVs equipment, printed matter, heavy drilling equipment and personal effects. On the other hand, it helps to meet the Maltese demand for shipments of textiles; electrical components; fresh vegetables and fresh fish for specialised outlets; as well as tropical fish.
This year Emirates SkyCargo has won a clutch of awards: 'Air Cargo Carrier of the Year' from IFW, UK (2nd year running); 'Best Air Cargo Carrier - Middle East' from Cargo News Asia (3rd year running); and 'Best Cargo Airline to the Middle East' (17th year running), 'Best Cargo Airline to the Indian subcontinent' (8th year) and 'Best cargo airline to the Far East' (2nd time) from Air Cargo News.
Contact:
S*** K***, Corporate Communications,
Tel: (+9714) 2***, Mob: (+97150) ***;
email: ***@emirates.com <mailto:*****@emirates.com>, visit:
www.emirates.com <http://www.emirates.com/>
About Emirates SkyCargo:
Emirates' 83-strong fleet, which includes 76 wide-bodied passenger jets and seven freighters (five 747-400Fs, one 747-200F and one A310F) is one of the youngest in the skies. Emirates SkyCargo now serves 77 destinations in 54 countries in Europe, North America, Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East.
It moved 838,400 tonnes of freight in 2004-05 - an increase of 27 per cent over the previous year - while the division's revenue grew by 42 per cent to Dhs 3.4 billion (US $940 million), accounting for a record 21 per cent of the airline's operating revenue.
This year, Emirates SkyCargo already has won a clutch of major cargo awards including: ‘Air Cargo Carrier of the Year’ from International Freighting Weekly, UK (2nd year running); ‘Best Air Cargo Carrier - Middle East’ from Cargo News Asia (3rd year running); and ‘Best Cargo Airline to the Middle East’ (17th year running), ‘Best Cargo Airline to the Indian subcontinent’ (8th year) and ‘Best Cargo Airline to the Far East’ (2nd year) from Air Cargo News.
Photo caption:
On its way to New York: a Malta-built AC MKV being loaded onto Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft before taking-off from Malta International Airport to Dubai.