Life-saving medication manufactured in Belgium and fresh salmon from Norway are just two of the commodities flown by Emirates SkyCargo from the two countries – as it celebrates five years of operations from the two countries.
The Dubai-based carrier has flown over 235,000 tonnes of cargo to and from these countries since starting transporting cargo in September 2014.
In Belgium, Emirates SkyCargo has moved 60,000 tonnes of exports from Belgium over the last five years. Soon after the launch of passenger flight services to Brussels, the carrier also started scheduled freighter operations to the city in 2015.
“Currently our customers in and around Brussels can access up to 20 tonnes of belly hold cargo capacity on Emirates’ twice daily passenger flights operated on our widebody Boeing 777-300ER aircraft,” said Bob Vandamme, cargo manager Belgium, Emirates SkyCargo.
“In addition, they can also transport their cargo on Emirates’ thrice weekly freighter flights on the Boeing 777 freighter aircraft which are capable of carrying up to 100 tonnes of cargo per flight and can also load large, outsized or heavy cargo,” he added.
Brussels is an important station in Emirates SkyCargo’s network for the transport of pharma. It is one of the more than 20 global destinations in the air cargo carrier’s Pharma Corridors initiative that aims to provide enhanced protection for pharma cargo from origin to destination.
Since the launch of Emirates Pharma, the carrier’s specialised product for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, Emirates SkyCargo has transported more than 6,000 tonnes of pharma from Brussels.
In Belgium, the carrier has also operated freighter flights to and from Liege in response to demand for transporting horses to global championship events. Over the last five years, the carrier has operated close to 80 horse charters from Liege transporting more than 3,500 horses and 800 grooms.
In Norway, the carrier has flown close to 62,000 tonnes of Norwegian salmon from Oslo to customers across the Middle East and Asia on Emirates Skycargo’s flights. As a result of the strong demand for transporting salmon, Emirates SkyCargo launched a weekly freighter service on its Boeing 777F aircraft to Oslo from October 2016.
“Since the start of our services, Emirates SkyCargo has played an important role in the export of Norwegian salmon on our passenger and freighter aircraft.
“However, over the years, our freighter aircraft have also helped transport other outsized items including aircraft engines, large ship propellers weighing more than 10 tonnes apiece, horses and relief cargo for humanitarian missions from Oslo,” said Mona Kongsvik, cargo manager Norway, Emirates SkyCargo.
In total, Emirates SkyCargo has transported over 105,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Norway since the start of its operations in the country.
Emirates SkyCargo operates a fleet of 269 widebody aircraft and flies pharma and perishables through its Emirates Pharma and Emirates Fresh products. Last year, the carrier moved over 400,000 tonnes of perishables and close to 75,000 tonnes of pharmaceuticals across the world.
