Emirates flew nearly 10,000 tonnes of Irish exports from Dublin during 2018, according figures from the airline’s cargo division.

The carrier operates a twice-daily flight between Dubai and Dublin with Boeing 777-300ERs, offering up to 25 tonnes of bellyhold capacity per flight.

According to Emirates, about 35% of its Irish export cargo in 2018 consisted of food items such as crabs, oysters, razor shells and salmon, much of which was heading to destinations in the Far East such as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. Other produce making its way to Dubai and onwards to Asia included yogurts, cheese, Irish beef, chocolates and baby milk formula.

Pharmaceuticals accounted for more than 2,000 tonnes of the cargo carried by Emirates from Dublin in 2018. Primary end markets for Irish pharmaceutical products include Australia, India and the Middle East.

Other Irish products being exported to markets such as the UAE, China, Singapore, Australia and South Africa include computer equipment, electronics and machinery, making up another 35% of the exports flown by Emirates.

“Since launching in Ireland in January 2012 Emirates has been supporting Irish companies of all sizes with their export programmes, carrying more than 50,000 tonnes of cargo out of Dublin during that time, making us the number-one carrier for air cargo from Ireland to the Middle East, Australia and China,” said Michael Meagher, manager of Ireland at Emirates SkyCargo. “We are continuing to grow our operation in Ireland and are currently developing Dublin as a gateway to North America for cargo traffic coming from Dubai and elsewhere on our network.  This is a very exciting development for the Emirates SkyCargo team in Dublin, where every piece of cargo is treated with kid gloves to ensure it arrives at its destination in perfect condition.”

Specialized services developed by Emirates SkyCargo include Emirates Fresh for food items and other perishables, Emirates Pharma for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and Emirates Pets for domestic animals such as cats and dogs.

Emirates SkyCargo offers capacity on a fleet of over 270 aircraft, including one 747F and 13 777Fs.