Emirates SkyCargo is bolstering its fleet with an additional freighter, to service growing demand from its markets worldwide. The announcement was made today during the 22nd International Air Cargo Forum and Exposition being held in this city in north-east Spain.
The new freighter, a Boeing 747-400F leased from Atlas Air, will come on board on 1st October. As the fourth -400F, it will boost Emirates SkyCargo's freighter fleet to half a dozen aircraft, all Boeing 747s including two -200Fs. With a capacity of 124 tonnes, the new aircraft takes the award-winning cargo division's total freighter payload capability up to nearly 700 tonnes.
The Boeing 747-400F, the world's most advanced long-range freighter, is ideally fitted for Emirates SkyCargo's needs. It has four independently controlled air-conditioned zones that can be maintained at different temperature levels - so pharmaceuticals, fish, meat and vegetables can be carried in the same flight without risk of spoiling or contamination.
The aircraft has a bulk hold of 15 cubic metres and can transport up to 625 cubic metres in volume. Its side cargo door allows loading of outsized shipments that cannot be accommodated in the belly-holds of the 65 passenger aircraft in Emirate's fleet.
Ram Menen, Emirates' Senior Vice President Cargo said: "The new 747-400 freighter will help cater to the escalating demand from our customers across our network. We can thicken our existing routes and expand our freighter network, which now spans 23 destinations worldwide.
"Our freighters add much needed capacity on high-density routes worldwide and provide considerable flexibility, particularly related to time-sensitive, perishable and outsized cargo, within the entire supply chain.
He added: "Initially, we intend to deploy the new freighter on our existing routes to Shanghai and Hong Kong and the new Johannesburg service. We are also exploring the possibilities of launching more freighter destinations."
The Boeing 747-400F is environmentally friendly with a noise footprint 50 per cent smaller than the -200F and considerably lower emissions.
Last year the Emirates fleet of five freighters contributed 30 per cent or US $196 million, of the airline's total cargo revenue of US $653 million. The Emirates SkyCargo route network spans the globe, covering 77 destinations in 54 countries on five continents.
The cargo-only destinations served by its freighters include: Budapest, Liege, Gothenburg, Amsterdam, Bangalore, Dalian and Taipei. Its freighters also serve other busy trade routes, which are Emirates' passenger destinations, such as New York, Milan, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Amman, Istanbul, Kuwait, Mumbai, Chennai, Dhaka, Bangkok, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Starting 1st October, the fleet will also serve two new destinations - Johannesburg and Lahore.
In 2008 Emirates SkyCargo will receive the first of its two Airbus A380Fs, with a payload capacity of 150 tonnes each.
Further information:
Email: media.relations@emirates.com
