Emirates SkyCargo announced that it has started utilising its Airbus A380 aircraft on select cargo charter operations to transport urgently required cargo across its network.

The first dedicated Emirates A380 ‘mini-freighter’ successfully transported medical supplies between Seoul and Amsterdam via Dubai.

In a statement, Emirates SkyCargo said it worked collaboratively with the Engineering and Flight Operations teams within Emirates, to optimise the cargo capacity of the Airbus A380 to safely transport around 50 tonnes of cargo per flight in the bellyhold of the aircraft.

"Emirates SkyCargo has introduced dedicated cargo operations on the A380 aircraft in response to the surge in the demand for air cargo capacity required for the urgent transportation of critical goods, including medical supplies for combatting COVID-19 in regions experiencing a second wave of the pandemic," the air carrier said.

Emirates SkyCargo is working on further optimising the capacity of its Airbus A380 aircraft through measures such as seat loading of cargo and has planned more dedicated cargo flights on aircraft for the month of November.

The freight division of Emirates offers a variety of options for cargo capacity and connectivity to best match its customers’ requirements.

Emirates SkyCargo operates dedicated cargo flights on its Boeing 777-F and its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft including 14 modified Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft with seats removed from Economy Class for additional cargo volume.

Emirates SkyCargo said through its responsiveness and agility, the air cargo carrier has been able to maintain the flow of essential goods and trade across international markets during the pandemic, often providing a much-required helpline to communities around the world.7

World’s largest EU GDP compliant airside hub 

Recently, Emirates SkyCargo announced that it set up the world’s largest EU GDP compliant airside hub in Dubai dedicated to the COVID-19 vaccine as part of its efforts to build a supply chain for the global distribution of the vaccine.

The fit for purpose infrastructure for the storage of the vaccine would also be able to offer value-added services such as repackaging, re-icing and redistribution of the vaccine. The air cargo carrier has also set up a rapid response team to coordinate requests for the movement of the vaccine.

Emirates SkyCargo currently offers cargo capacity on scheduled flights to 135 destinations across the world.