Emirates SkyCargo has announced that they will be launching four weekly cargo services to New Zealand from 3rd May 2020 to help connect businesses in the country to key trading partners across the globe.

The air cargo carrier is working with the Government of New Zealand as part of its International Airfreight Capacity (IAFC) scheme to help facilitate the exports of key commodities from New Zealand to the rest of the world while ensuring that essential cargo continues to be transported into the country.

Emirates SkyCargo will be operating 3 weekly Dubai-Auckland-Melbourne-Dubai flight rotations and a once a week Dubai-Sydney-Christchurch-Sydney-Dubai flight service operated by the carrier’s Boeing 777-300ER passenger freighters.

Emirates SkyCargo will be providing a vital cargo lane for the exports of high quality exports from New Zealand including food items such as chilled meat, honey, dairy products, and seafood to various destinations in the Middle East and Europe. The flight service is also expected to help transport pharmaceuticals and medical appliances to markets in the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

“Emirates SkyCargo is delighted to working with the Government of New Zealand to help connect fresh produce of the highest quality and other key exports from Auckland and Christchurch. We consider it our responsibility to ensure that we are able to facilitate adequate supply of food and other essential commodities to markets that we serve and also support exporters in New Zealand at the same time,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

Emirates SkyCargo is operating dedicated cargo flights on its Boeing 777 freighters and Boeing 777-300ER passenger freighters to more than 60 destinations across six continents. Through a mix of scheduled flights and charter operations, the air cargo carrier has helped transport thousands of tonnes of vital protective equipment and food across the world during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Denmark’s efforts to control the spread of coronavirus have been significantly aided by the rapid supply of medical equipment to Danish hospitals from around the world, with Worldwide Flight Services’ (WFS) cargo handling team in Copenhagen at the forefront of the response to help move PPE shipments to front-line doctors and nurses as quickly as possible.

Already, WFS has handled some 350 tonnes of medical cargoes onboard 15 flights, a combination of both freighter charters and cargo-only passenger flights. A further 200 tonnes of PPE equipment is expected in the next two weeks.

Cargo imports from China have arrived on flights operated by airlines including Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways and Star Air. A high number of flights into Denmark are part of the Maersk Bridge operation initiated and coordinated by A.P. Moller Holding with support from A.P. Moller – Maersk sourcing the PPE in China, and Damco transporting it to Rigshospitalet in Denmark. The air bridge and supply chain operation has been securing delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to health care workers in Denmark – and thereby reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in Danish hospitals. Region H, the capital of Denmark, is responsible for the selection of materials, review of supplier certificates and quality control.

WFS’ cargo handling specialists in Copenhagen have processed medical supplies carried by a wide range of aircraft types; Antonov-124, Boeing 777 and 747 freighters as well as Boeing 767 and 777 and Airbus A350 passenger aircraft.

Jimi Daniel Hansen, General Manager of WFS – Copenhagen, said: ”We are ready to provide all of the support necessary to ensure the cargo on these special flights reaches medical professionals in Denmark quickly and supports their outstanding work helping patients recovering from the coronavirus. We are especially proud to be helping the fantastic Maersk Bridge operation and will continue to meet any more special requests for additional cargo services.”

WFS’ cargo operation in Copenhagen provides handling services for some 70 customers, including over 20 airlines with online flights to the Danish capital. In 2019, WFS expanded its handling footprint at the airport to 13,900sqm following the lease of a further warehouse facility and also invested in the opening of a dedicated Pharma centre for temperature-controlled healthcare and life science products.

Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates contributes to the transport of much needed commodities across the globe, including important exports from Turkey. Turkish exports have included mainly hand sanitisers, medical masks, and products for manufacturing PPE, through twice weekly cargo flights from Istanbul Airport. Emirates SkyCargo helps to sustain both essential supply chains and revenue flows for Turkish suppliers, despite the suspension of scheduled passenger flights from Istanbul.

Turkey’s exports deliver significant contribution across the globe via Emirates SkyCargo

Turkey has become an important base for the export of products to support the world’s fight against Covid-19. Emirates SkyCargo flights play an essential role on delivering these products and goods, helping with the transport of the below commodities from Turkey:

• Raw materials for PPE, including non-woven fabric to the Far East; such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing
• Protective aprons, medical masks and sterilized hand gel products to the Middle East such as Muscat (Oman), Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai (UAE)
• Pharmaceuticals to cities across Australia

Bahar Birinci, Emirates Country Manager of Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria said: “Turkey is one of only six countries in the world that has seen an increase in exports during the Covid-19 pandemic, and with two weekly flights from Turkey, Emirates SkyCargo is enabling the country to connect to several global markets. Emirates commitment to Turkey is evident, continuing to operate passenger freighters in order to provide a means of transport for important medical supplies during such a critical time.”

Over and above scheduled flights, Emirates SkyCargo stands ready to also operate charter flights. Recently the carrier helped transport 40 tonnes of hazelnut paste, a quality export from Turkey, on a special charter flight to Australia.

Emirates SkyCargo Operations

Delivering upon its commitment to continue to provide global markets with food, medical supplies and essential products during Covid-19 outbreak, Emirates SkyCargo operates around the globe, offering the safe and effective transport of cargo, despite the challenging conditions. Emirates SkyCargo is currently operating flights to over 65 global destinations on a scheduled basis and to many more destinations as charter and ad hoc operations. During the month of April the carrier operated more than 2500 flights.

Connecting cities east and west, Emirates SkyCargo has transported more than 20,000 tonnes of pharmaceuticals and more than 93,000 tonnes of perishables on its flights since January.