Emirates to expand cargo capacity by 17%

Emirates Airline plans to grow the number of flights across its network by 14% in 2009, increasing cargo capacity by 17%. That’s the word from Ram Menen, divisional senior vice president cargo, who hopes to see some stability returning to the industry in the coming months after a difficult two years. “ For Emirates SkyCargo, 2009 will be a year of consolidation. “In the next 12 months we will take delivery of two new, stateof- the-art Boeing 777 freighters, the largest twin-engine aircraft in the world. They will have a maximum payload of 103 tonnes. In addition, 18 new wide-bodied passenger aircraft will be added to the Emirates fleet, enabling Emirates SkyCargo to increase frequencies and capacity on many existing routes.” Emirates currently has a fleet of 129 wide-bodied aircraft, including eight freighters. By the end of the 2008-09 financial year that figure will stand at 132, including one Boeing 777 freighter. The carrier will take delivery of another Boeing 777 freighter in the 2009-10 fiscal year. “We will bolster our presence in markets where we have a greater demand from our customers, such as China and Africa,” he said. Emirates SkyCargo recently launched a weekly Boeing 747- 400 freighter flight to Lagos. A second daily passenger service to the Nigerian capital, with 18 tonnes of bellyhold cargo capacity, was started on February 1.