DUBAI, UAE, 19th November 2003 – Customers dealing with time-sensitive cargo are in for a treat once Emirates SkyCargo begins its services in the brand new A340-500s.
The long-range aircraft is designed to accommodate six pallets and 12 containers, with the capacity to carry a total of 16 tonnes of cargo or 90 cubic metres volume with full passenger loads. With the capability to fly non-stop over long distances, the A340-500 first will be deployed on the Sydney/Auckland routes from 1st December.
Peter Sedgley, Emirates’ Vice President Cargo Commercial Operations said: “With the A340-500 servicing Sydney and Auckland, retailers in both cities and their hinterlands can now plan and stock consumer goods using just-in-time methods, knowing that Emirates SkyCargo’s quicker services will back them up.
“Similarly, dairy products, fish, flowers, fruit and meat from Australia and New Zealand, very popular in the Middle East and Europe, will reach the supermarket shelves in these regions, both faster and fresher. The new services are commencing at the right time – when demand for consumer goods and perishables peak during the holiday season.”
Ground-handling service standards in Australia and New Zealand have been stringently specified to enable Emirates SkyCargo to maintain the highest product quality, enabling customers to take further advantage of the new services.
The future holds many exciting services for cargo customers as these aircraft will serve new non-stop routes to New York and San Francisco, and non-stop flights to Melbourne. These destinations will come on board after the airline receives delivery of all A340-500 aircraft in 2004. With the first aircraft already inducted into the fleet, Emirates expects to take delivery of three more by year-end.
Emirates SkyCargo’s customers worldwide then can take advantage of earlier deliveries of raw materials, time-sensitive cargo and perishables, speeding up manufacturing and assembly processes.
The new A340-500s spearhead Emirates’ US$26 billion aircraft order book, which also includes 26 Boeing 777-300 Extended Range aircraft, 20 A340-600s, eight A340-300s and two A380-500 freighters. More than 100 new jets are on order to be delivered to Emirates by 2012, helping to make Dubai one of the world’s major new airline and cargo hubs for the 21st century
-Ends-
About Emirates SkyCargo:
Emirates Airline’s 56-strong fleet, one of the youngest in the skies, includes 52 wide-bodied passenger jets and four freighters – two 747-400Fs and two 747-200Fs. With the start of freight services to New York this September, Emirates SkyCargo now services 71 destinations in 50 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East and North America.
Emirates SkyCargo returned remarkable financial figures for 2002-2003 - it carried 525,188 tonnes of cargo (up 31.1 per cent over the previous year) and earned Dhs. 1.708 billion in revenues (an increase of 48.8 per cent), responsible for 19.3 per cent of the airline’s revenues.
In the first half of the 2003-04 financial year, through the end of September, Emirates’ cargo revenue went up by 49 per cent, while tonnage grew by 29 per cent to 315,000 tons.
SkyCargo's efforts have been recognised throughout the industry. Air Cargo News voted Emirates Cargo Airline of the Year in 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2001, Best Cargo Airline to the Middle East for the last 15 consecutive years and the Best Cargo Airline to the Indian subcontinent for the last five consecutive years. In 2003, it won the Best Cargo Airline to the Far East from Air Cargo News, and Best Cargo Airline to the Middle East at the Airfreight Asia Supply Chain Awards.
SkyCargo’s Priority Service assures on-time delivery throughout the world, while the extensive trucking and off-line partner networks ensure comprehensive coverage where customers need it most. SkyChain, the one-stop web shop with many value-added features, enables customers to obtain information as well as transact business online.
Contact:
Sheba Koonan,
Corporate Communications,
Tel: (+9714) 203.2287,
Mob: (+97150) 658.7912;
email: sheba.koonan@emirates.com,
visit: www.emirates.com
© Press Release 2003
