Emirates SkyCargo said it transports between 500 and 700 tonnes of food items everyday ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables to gourmet ice creams and cheeses on its flights around the world.

Over the last one year, the cargo division of Emirates airline has been transporting premium oyster, a home-grown delicacy from the UAE to some of the finest restaurants in Moscow.

In a statement, it said Dibba Bay Oysters, a UAE start-up based in the emirate of Fujairah, has been growing premium oysters since 2016, currently harvesting around 200,000 oysters every month and set for exponential growth in the coming years.

Emirates said it is the first shellfish farm established in the Middle East region and founder Ramie Murray pioneered the pivot from the traditional Arabian pearl oyster industry to the farming of an edible oyster species.

Oyster transport through Emirates

It said around 50% of Dibba Bay's oyster produce is exported and Emirates SkyCargo has been facilitating the exports of these food item from the UAE to Russia.

"Emirates SkyCargo is delighted to help transport this premium UAE-grown produce to some of the most discerning connoisseurs of oysters in international markets such as Russia. Air cargo connectivity plays an important role in rapidly transporting such time and temperature sensitive food items from the farm to the fork across the globe," said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

Sultan noted that it is able to transport harvested oysters in the morning to restaurant tables that very evening in Moscow.

"With our network, capacity and expertise in handling premium food products, we look forward to supporting Dibba Bay Oysters as well as other UAE based and international SMEs in their international expansion plans over the years to come," he added.

Murray, founder and CEO, Dibba Bay Oysters, lauded Emirates cold chain operations allowing his company to export fresh seafood — usually within the same day. 

Emirates SkyCargo noted that it introduced Emirates Fresh, a three-tiered product to help maintain freshness of the food items during transportation by air to support companies such as Dibba Bay Oysters and other premium food exporters from around the world.

Emirates SkyCargo said it also has a fleet of cool dollys in Dubai dedicated to transporting food under temperature-controlled conditions.