Emirates SkyCargo transported 27,000 tonnes of cargo from Colombo in 2017-18, representing 23% of the 118,000 tonnes if goods Sri Lanka exported by air during the year, according to the carrier’s Colombo.

According to Emirates, it serves Colombo with 28 Boeing 777 flights every week, with the capacity to carry approximately 20 tonnes of cargo in the belly of each flight.

Sri Lanka’s main exports include fish, fruit and vegetables, flowers and other cut foliage and readymade garments. SkyCargo’s Emirates Fresh range of specialized transport solutions help maintain the condition and freshness of most of these goods.

“In 2017-18, Emirates SkyCargo carried more than 7,500 tonnes of fish, which is about 40% of the 17,500 tonnes of edible fish that Sri Lanka exported to USA and Europe,” said Kapila Santhapriya, cargo manager of Sri Lanka and the Maldives at Emirates. “Our flight frequencies and our global network reach from Colombo support the local fish and seafood exports industry.”

The seafood exported by Emirates SkyCargo from Sri Lanka includes tuna, shrimp, prawns, crabs and lobsters to markets such as the UK, France, Italy, Netherlands and the US.

In addition to seafood, Emirates also transported 5,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables from the country during the last financial year, including banana, papaya, pineapple, mangosteen, Rambutan, bitter gourd, green chillies, drumstick, snake gourd and red onion. Main export markets for these products include the Middle East, the Maldives, the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and the Seychelles.

Emirates operates a fleet of 257 widebody passenger aircraft and 14 freighter aircraft, and transported a total of more than 2.6 million tonnes of cargo in the financial year 2017-18.