Emirates SkyCargo boosts UAE-Africa trade route
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline, has launched a new service on the United Arab Emirates- Africa trade route which would operate every Friday between Dubai and Ghana.
The service, which would operate with a 117 tonne-capacity Boeing 747-400F, is to support the thriving import and export industry generated by one of the world’s fastest growing economies.
Hiran Perera, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Cargo Planning & Freighters, in a press release on Monday said “Ghana is booming at the moment – exporting items such as oil and gas equipment, pineapples, mangoes, a variety of vegetables, fresh fish and lobsters- so strengthening our commitment to west Africa with the introduction of this weekly freighter makes great business sense”.
The new service to Kotoka International Airport, which began on November 11 this year, will operate via Lome, Togo, on the outbound journey and return to Dubai through Frankfurt, Germany.
“Ghana is rich in natural resources and is recognised as one of Africa’s leading economies. This economic strength means it will play a pivotal role in the future development of Africa, making it an important trade route with tremendous scope for growth,” added Perera.
He stated that Africa was a key market for Emirates SkyCargo, operating to 20 locations and that they were looking forward to contributing to her continued economic development by facilitating more international trade between the continent and our ever-expanding network of more than 110 destinations with the addition of Harare and Lusaka in 2012.
Goods from Ghana will be distributed from Dubai to locations across the Middle East, Europe, the Far East and the United States. Goods coming into Ghana include electrical equipment, clothing and mobile phones from the Far East and pharmaceuticals from Europe, while freight from Frankfurt to Dubai will include car parts, machinery and a diverse range of general merchandise.
Emirates has been operating a passenger service to Accra, with a weekly cargo capacity of 120 tonnes each way in the bellyhold of an Airbus A330-200, since 2004. In the 2010-11 financial year, Emirates SkyCargo carried 1.8 million tonnes of cargo across its network, contributing 17.4 per cent – US$2.4 billion – of the airline’s total transport revenue.
Emirates SkyCargo currently serves a global route network that spans 116 points in 68 countries, including 13 cargo-only destinations, while 51 of the locations Emirates SkyCargo serves are e-freight compliant.
Source: GNA