Emirates SkyCargo has begun operating its Airbus A380 aircraft fleet on urgent cargo charter operations in its network, which covers 135 destinations across six continents. Working in collaboration with the engineering and flight operations teams within Emirates, the air cargo carrier has optimised the cargo capacity of the A380 to safely transport around 50 tonnes of cargo per flight in the bellyhold of the aircraft. Emirates SkyCargo is also working to further optimise the capacity of its A380 fleet through measures such as seat-loaded cargo.
Priority is being given to medical supplies for combatting Covid-19, with the first dedicated Emirates A380 ‘mini-freighter’ flight transporting medical supplies between Seoul and Amsterdam via Dubai.
The freight division of Emirates also operates dedicated cargo flights on its Boeing 777-F and its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, including 14 modified Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft with the seats removed from the economy class cabins to create additional cargo volume.
Taking a lead in the supply chain for the global distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine, Emirates SkyCargo also announced recently that it has set up the world’s largest EU GDP-compliant airside hub dedicated to handling vaccines, located in Dubai. In addition to a fit for purpose infrastructure for storage of vaccines, the facility would also be able to offer value-added services such as repackaging, re-icing and redistribution of vaccines. The air cargo carrier has also set up a rapid response team to coordinate requests for movement of the vaccine.
