Outlook for 2020 is more positive, said the carrier.
At the start of a new decade, Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has geared up to facilitate global trade and cargo movement in 2020 and beyond through a combination of product development and investment in “fit for purpose” infrastructure.
The outlook for 2020 is “more positive” with the air cargo industry set to post a modest recovery due to improved economic activity and trade growth, declared Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice-president, cargo, Emirates.
He explained: “With our commitment to ‘deliver as promised’ backed by a global network covering over 155 destinations centred in Dubai, our modern fleet of all wide-body aircraft and our Emirates SkyCentral terminals, Emirates SkyCargo is well positioned to support trade and economic growth in line with the Dubai Silk Road Project. With Expo 2020 Dubai also set to kick-off in October 2020, we will see a surge in movement of goods to and from Dubai, and we are working with our partners to provide specialised air freight services for this one in a lifetime event.”
Describing 2019 as a “challenging year”, Sultan explained that economic uncertainty and tensions in global trade as well as unrest in key markets have negatively impacted cargo volumes. He continued: “However, the tough market conditions were an opportunity for us to review our core coffering to our customers and ensure that we remained market leaders with our specialised product offering, capabilities and infrastructure as well as our agility in responding to customer demand.”
Last year, Emirates SkyCargo continued to roll out products catered for specific industry verticals. For instance, more than 400,000 tonnes of perishables were flown on Emirates’ flights under Emirates Fresh, Emirates SkyCargo’s specialised product for perishables. In November and December 2019, the carrier operated nine charter flights from Santiago, Chile for carrying cherries.
