Emirates SkyCargo

MANAGERS for Emirates SkyCargo’s 100-plus stations around the world recently came to Dubai for the company’s Worldwide Conference 2008.

“The coming year will not be easy,” said Ram Menen, divisional senior vice-president cargo, “but there is an upside. We will enter a ‘correction period’ where the market corrects itself.

“All carriers will have to refine their operating practices and airlines operating fuel inefficient aircraft will not survive. Yes, there are some big challenges ahead of us, but this is also a great opportunity. We take delivery of our first Boeing 777 freighter this year, and with its 103-tonne payload, it will be by far the most fuel economical twin-engined freighter the world has ever seen.”

In the 2007-08 financial year which ended 31 March, Emirates SkyCargo reported record results. Despite the onset of high fuel prices, a US slowdown from the sub-prime crisis, and bad weather affecting agricultural production in key areas, the cargo division of Emirates Airline carried 1.3 million tonnes of cargo, an improvement of 10.9 per cent over the previous year’s 1.2 million tonnes and recorded a record revenue increase of 20 per cent to $1.8 billion, up from $1.5 billion in 2006-07.

Cargo revenue contributed 19 per cent to the airline’s total transport revenue, one of the highest contributions of any airline in the world with a similar fleet composition.