DUBAI, U.A.E., 3rd January 2006 - Emirates SkyCargo is all set to start freighter services from Dubai to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, from 13th January 2006. The service will be operated jointly with Air Cargo Ltd, a subsidiary of Air Malawi - the country's national airline.

Emirates SkyCargo will serve Malawi, its 12th African destination, with the Airbus A310-300F freighter once a week, every Friday.

The cargo division is expecting to transport large tonnes of perishable products such as fruit, vegetables and cut flowers to support Malawi's predominantly agricultural economy. Other local produce - tobacco, tea, coffee, beans, pulses, rice, chillies and nuts - are also expected to be part of the export mix. Malawi exports a diverse range of products including textiles, garments, furniture, gemstones, and live tropical fish. These goods are extremely popular in Emirates' destinations, which are also Malawi's major markets, such as the USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, France and Switzerland.

Hiran Perera, Emirates' Vice President Cargo - Freighters said: "Malawi is an excellent destination for our A310F freighter route, with the country's needs and our aircraft's capabilities perfectly in sync with each other. Malawi is a medium-haul destination from Dubai, and shipments arrive in excellent condition. With our top-class facilities at the hub, shipments can be cleared, carefully stored, or quickly turned around for onward journeys to cities across our network.

"The newly-converted A310F offers optimum size as well as speed, and is perishables-friendly. Our new service will catalyze Malawi's exports of perishables to the Middle East and to other destinations in Europe and the Far East."

To Malawi, Emirates SkyCargo is expecting to carry pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, machinery and IT equipment from around its network, particularly countries such as USA, UK, Germany, India, China, and Japan.

Nathaniel Limbe, General Manager - Air Cargo Ltd said: "We are proud to partner with Emirates SkyCargo and we are confident that the introduction of the direct freighter service between Lilongwe and Dubai will spur considerable economic activity - not just benefiting Malawi but also the cities in the neighbouring countries close to our border."

Emirates SkyCargo's commitment to maintaining and sustaining an unbroken cool chain throughout the supply chain is well established. At its hub in Dubai, its Cool Dollies address the challenges of maintaining the cool chain for temperature-sensitive shipments between the aircraft and the Emirates SkyCargo Centre. Unit Load Devices (ULDs) with perishable cargo are transferred directly from the aircraft into the Cool Dolly, and then housed in the Emirates SkyCargo Centre, either for local collection and delivery or sent onwards to its final destination worldwide.

The wide-bodied A310Fs have enhanced Dubai's role as a regional cargo hub with its gross payload of 39 tonnes and state-of-the-art technology that offers excellent performance capabilities.

In Africa, Emirates SkyCargo currently serves 11 destinations - Alexandria, Cairo, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Nairobi, Tripoli, Lagos, and Accra - with belly-hold and freighter services.

-Ends-

Contact:
Sheba Koonan,
Corporate Communications,
Tel: (+9714) 203.2287,
Mob: (+97150) 658.7912;
email: sheba.koonan@emirates.com,
visit: www.emirates.com

© Press Release 2006