Emirates SkyCargo transported 1,198,000 tonnes in the first six months of the year, up 16% compared to the same period last year.
The air freight division of Emirates said strong Chinese e-commerce traffic and a rise in shipments bound for Dubai contributed to the notable volume increase.
In the announcement, Emirates SkyCargo noted that it was able to meet demand with added capacity from one new Boeing 777 freighter delivered and two additional wet-leased Boeing 747Fs.
During the first six months of 2024-25, Emirates placed orders for 10 additional Boeing 777 freighters to support its growth.
"Strong customer demand for Emirates SkyCargo's specialised products and an excellent network of freighter and bellyhold cargo operations saw cargo yields increase by 11%," the cargo carrier said.
For the period, the cargo carrier said profit before tax for the first half of 2024-25 hit a new record of AED 9.7 billion (US$2.6 billion), compared to AED 9.5 billion (US$2.6 billion) for the same period last year. Emirates' profit after tax is AED 8.7 billion (US$2.4 billion).
Emirates revenue, including other operating income, of AED 62.2 billion (US$16.9 billion) was up 5% compared with AED 59.5 billion (US$16.2 billion) for the same period last year.
"The airline's new record revenue can be attributed to consistently strong travel and air cargo demand across markets and its ability to offer customers great value and services," the carrier said.
Emirates stated that the performance demonstrates the strong demand for travel and air cargo across various regions, highlighting the airline's ability to attract customer preference through continuous investments in its products and services.
"The Group has surpassed its record performance of last year to deliver a fantastic result for the first half of 2024-25. This again illustrates the power of our proven business model working in combination with Dubai's growth trajectory as a city of choice to live, work, visit, connect through, and do business in," said His Highness (HH) Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group.
"The Group's strong profitability enables us to make the investments necessary for our continued success. We're investing billions of dollars to bring new products and services to the market for our customers to implement advanced technologies and other innovation projects to drive growth and to look after our employees who work hard every day to ensure our customers’ safety and satisfaction," he added.
Looking ahead, the Emirates chief indicated a positive outlook.
"We expect customer demand to remain strong for the rest of 2024-25, and we look forward to increasing our capacity to grow revenues as new aircraft join the Emirates fleet and new facilities come online at dnata," HH Sheikh Ahmed said.
"The outlook is positive, but we don't intend to rest on our laurels. We will stay agile in deploying our capacity and resources in a dynamic marketplace," he added.
