Emirates SkyCargo launches freighter service to Mexico City and Atlanta

The once-a-week service to Mexico City starts in Dubai with a stop en route to Frankfurt,  while on the way back the flight makes a scheduled stop in Houston and Copenhagen before heading back to Dubai. The freighter service to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport from Dubai, which is also a weekly service, has a scheduled stop in Frankfurt and on the return leg stops at Copenhagen. This multi-stop service provides customers with the additional benefit to move cargo between these cities.

On both routes Emirates SkyCargo uses its Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft, which is capable of carrying 103 tonnes of cargo, and with its main deck being the widest of any freighter aircraft, it’s able to uplift outsized cargo and carry larger consignments.

“The recent introduction of freighter services to Mexico City and Atlanta is part of Emirates SkyCargo’s continued expansion of our route network to offer customers new trade and business opportunities across the world. Both cities are major cargo destinations, with Mexico City being one of the largest manufacturing hubs in Latin America, while Atlanta ranks tenth among North American airports in terms of cargo volume,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates divisional senior vice president, cargo.

“Our freighters give us the flexibility to create new trade lanes and opportunities for our customers. This, coupled with the belly-hold cargo capacity of our passenger fleet and growing worldwide network, gives Emirates SkyCargo huge capacity and global reach across six continents,” he added.

Imports into Mexico City include general cargo, pharmaceuticals, textiles, apparel, machinery and electronic parts, with its exports being mainly general cargo, pharmaceuticals, automotive and ship parts. Goods moving into Atlanta are mainly general cargo, textiles, apparel, footwear and leather goods, while its exports across the Emirates network include general cargo, construction equipment, machinery, electrical and electronic equipment and products.

Emirates SkyCargo has a fleet of 12 freighters, 10 Boeing 777 Fs and two Boeing 747-400 ERFs, which from 1 May 2014 started operating from its new cargo terminal at Dubai World Central’s Al Maktoum International Airport.

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “Emirates SkyCargo is making the most of its new home at Dubai World Central and the start of new freighter operations to Mexico and Atlanta will further augment their profitable cargo operations - this comes despite a slow revival of the global airfreight market, however, Emirates SkyCargo has seen both volumes and yield grow rapidly as the Middle East becomes a great transit point for commerce.

“Equally, with two new cities under its belt, Emirates will almost certainly complement Atlanta and Mexico City with direct passenger flights and provide yet more passenger connectivity out of Dubai. Given the current runway upgrades at Dubai International Airport, don't expect them to launch (passenger) flights there soon. It's probable that any such mooted services will start with the long range 777-300ER as Emirates looks to develop its Central and North American route network.”