Emirates SkyCargo, one of the largest and fastest-growing air cargo carriers in the world, has concluded another year full of successes and remarkable achievements.
In 2013, Emirates SkyCargo expanded its network by launching four new cargo destinations, starting with Hanoi in Vietnam on February 6, Chicago in the USA on March 3, Kano in Nigeria on October 4, and Quito in Ecuador on December 3. SkyCargo also began operations to Warsaw, Algiers, Haneda, Stockholm, Clark, Conakry, Sialkot, and Kabul, offering cargo transport in the bellies of passenger aircraft on these eight new routes. To support the growth of its network, Emirates SkyCargo expanded its fleet in 2013 by adding three new Boeing 777 Freighters. Currently, the carrier owns 12 freighters – 10 B777 F and two B747-400 ERF, which serve 43 destinations worldwide. In March 2013, the Emirates freight division strengthened its Cool Chain Premium Service by partnering with a new cold chain solutions provider – CSafe. In 2013, SkyCargo transported over 4,000 tons of temperature-sensitive products, including pharmaceuticals, thanks to its Cool Chain Premium Service.
With the launch of the alliance between Emirates and Qantas in March 2013, Emirates SkyCargo and Qantas Freight began cooperation on cargo transport on passenger routes, offering freight services to a total of over 200 airports across 6 continents.
In April 2013, Emirates SkyCargo became the first carrier to introduce electronic air waybills (Electronic-Air Waybill – e-AWB) under the multilateral e-AWB standards recently ratified by the industry. Thus, the carrier once again strengthened its position as an industry leader in implementing the latest solutions. Throughout the year, Emirates SkyCargo concluded over 190 global and local bilateral and multilateral e-AWB agreements with customers to support the transition from paper air waybills (AWB) to their electronic counterparts. In May 2013, the Emirates Group, which includes SkyCargo, announced its annual results. Emirates SkyCargo’s revenue exceeded the 10 billion AED mark for the first time, reaching 10.3 billion AED (2.8 billion USD), which represented an 8 percent increase compared to the previous financial year. Emirates SkyCargo’s tonnage grew by 16%, reaching an impressive 2.1 million tons, despite the downward trend in the air freight market. The carrier transported 2.1 million tons of cargo across its network in the 2012-13 financial year and ranked first among the best airlines in terms of freight tonne-kilometers carried globally according to the latest World Airline Transport statistics published by IATA.
During this time, SkyCargo won a number of prestigious industry awards, including “Cargo Airline of the Year 2013” (Air Cargo Week), “Cargo Airline of the Year 2013“, “Best Middle East Cargo Airline” (both awards during Air Cargo News), “Best Air Cargo Carrier Middle East” (AFSCA), “Cargo Operator of the Year” (SCATA), and “Air Cargo Excellence Award” (Air Cargo World).
In 2014, all Emirates SkyCargo operations will be moved to Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport, which will become the new home for the freight carrier starting in April. After the completion of the first stage, followed by the installation of the cargo handling system and interior fit-out in April 2014, and full completion of works by mid-September, the terminal will be equipped to handle 700,000 tons of cargo with the possibility of increasing capacity by an additional 300,000 tons in the second phase.