Fast cargo connections for Emirates’ Dubai switch

EMIRATES SkyCargo’s plan to complete the transfer of its freighter base to Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) by May has gathered momentum with the signing of a five-year trucking contract.
Under the deal, Dubai-based Allied Transport will provide road feeder services between the congested old Dubai International (DXB) airport and the new DWC.
Emirates SkyCargo’s passenger (belly cargo) fleet operations will remain at DXB, so the seamless trucking of freight between the two airports is critical to achieving the minimum possible transhipment times. 
The initiative will benefit from purpose-built truck docks, designed to achieve quick turn-round times, at both airports. 
The aim is to run 10 trucks per hour between DWC and DXB during peak times in 2014. The frequency will increase in the future, says a statement.
Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice-president of cargo at Emirates SkyCargo, states: “The development [of the terminal at DWC] is well on track and we are ready to start operations soon.”
The facility – equipped to handle 700,000 tonnes annually and up to one million in the future – will boast an automated ULD system that enables the transfer of six ULDs simultaneously, as well as automated pallet handling.
The infrastructure houses 46 truck docks and 80 truck parking spaces, in addition to apron space for 12 freighters (10 B777Fs and two B747-400ERFs).
“Our freighter fleet already accounts for 35 per cent of Emirates SkyCargo’s revenue and the new terminal is at the core of our growth plans,” Sultan adds. 
“It will have a positive impact on Dubai as it will create a cargo corridor that connects the Jebel Ali port, DWC and Dubai International Airport,” he adds.