Emirates SkyCargo adds fourth frequency to Shanghai

To satisfy and support escalating customer demand stemming from the booming Indian economy, Emirates SkyCargo last week launched dedicated freighter services from Shanghai to India’s commercial capital, Mumbai. The new service marks the fourth freighter frequency to China’s largest city, Shanghai.

The cargo-laden Boeing 747-200 Freighter is scheduled to leave Dubai every Tuesday morning to Shanghai, stopping on its way back in Mumbai early Wednesday mornings and reaching Dubai at 0735 on the same day.

Indo-China trade has increased phenomenally - from US$300 million a year in the 1990s to nearly US$5 billion in 2002 - registering an average annual growth rate of 32 per cent. Several factors, including the easing of trade relations and the ever-expanding Indian middle class, make Chinese consumer products have enormous appeal in Indian markets, both for their comparable quality and affordable prices.

The new service will help ferry more than 100 tonnes of consumer and industrial goods each week to India’s cargo heartland, Mumbai. From the city, goods can then be transported quickly by road, rail, air and sea to customers in various metropolitan cities all over the country.

In 2003-04, India’s GDP is expected to grow at a rate of 5.5 - 6 per cent and with Mumbai being the country’s premier export centre, the freighter service will help Indian exporters connect quickly and conveniently to Emirates’ belly network that now covers 71 destinations in 50 countries. 

Indian silk, cotton, brocades, leather goods, garments, accessories, jewellery, handicrafts are keenly sought-after by consumers in the USA as well as Middle Eastern and European countries. Cargo customers in India have expressed their keenness to take advantage of Emirates SkyCargo’s second weekly freighter service to New York via Gothenburg, launched on 20th November, and the recently started freighter services to Amman, Istanbul and Frankfurt. 

Mr. Hiran Perera, Emirates’ Manager Cargo Planning and Capacity Development, said: “We are delighted to launch dedicated services to Mumbai, our third freighter destination in India after Bangalore and Chennai. This will supplement our belly capacity in the 18 flights we currently operate to the city. There has been a shortage of capacity on this route and the new service will go a long way in keeping our cargo customers in India happy.”

The fourth frequency to Shanghai comes close on the heels of the addition of a third frequency in September. “The escalating growth in industrial production in Shanghai and the continuing worldwide demand for these goods has prompted us to increase our frequency. This will allow us to serve our customers’ needs better, particularly during the peak holiday season. Importantly, it will boost bilateral trade relations between UAE and China,” commented Mr. Perera.

Emirates SkyCargo’s freighters extensively serve cargo-only destinations including New York, Gothenburg, Bangalore, Amsterdam, Liege, Shanghai and Taipei. Other busy trade routes already served by its freighters are Amman, Istanbul, Chennai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Dhaka, all of which are also Emirates’ passenger destinations.

Emirates SkyCargo also offers belly capacity in 42 weekly flights to five Indian cities - four flights to Chennai, five to Cochin, seven to Delhi, eight to Hyderabad, and 18 to Mumbai. With the new service, the total tonnage capacity to India exceeds 950 tonnes a week.