Emirates
SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, one of the fastest growing
international airlines, has bolstered its operations on the booming
Africa trade route.
Supporting
the thriving trade between Africa and the rest of the world, its weekly
cargo capacity into and out of the continent will be over 6000 tonnes
after the launch of flights to Lusaka and Harare on 1st February.
The
addition of flights to the capitals of Zambia and Zimbabwe comes less
than three months after the launch of a dedicated weekly freighter to
Accra and Lome and means Emirates SkyCargo now has a total annual
capacity of more than 300,000 tonnes.
The
two new gateways mean Emirates SkyCargo can connect businesses in 22
countries across Africa to its network of more than 100 destinations,
while also providing increased opportunities for key trading partners
such as China and Japan.
“While
many regions are experiencing challenging economic conditions, Africa –
with a population in excess of one billion and rich in natural
resources - is one of the few areas to record growth and the long-term
outlook is very positive,” said Ram Menen, Emirates’ Divisional Senior
Vice President Cargo. “We expect demand to be strong for a variety of
commodities going into and out of Lusaka and Harare and have no doubt
the two destinations will be a strong addition to our African network.”
The
Dubai-Lusaka-Harare service will be operated five times a week by an
A330-200, providing a total weekly cargo capacity of up to 160 tonnes.
South
Africa - with a weekly capacity of more than 1500 tonnes spread across
the belly-hold of 84 passenger flights serving Johannesburg, Cape Town
and Durban, as well as two dedicated Johannesburg freighters – is
Emirates SkyCargo’s key trading point on the continent.
Dedicated
freighters also operate to Eldoret and Lilongwe, while the other points
on Emirates SkyCargo’s African network – Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Accra,
Cairo, Casablanca, Dakar, Dar el Salaam, Entebbe, Khartoum, Lagos,
Luanda, Nairobi, Tripoli, and Tunisia – are served using either the
belly-hold of wide-body passenger aircraft, or a combination of the
belly-hold and freighters.
“We
have slowly built up our presence on the continent since we launched
flights to Cairo in 1986 and in recent years, as Africa started to
realise its huge potential, we began operating to Cape Town, Durban,
Luanda and Dakar,” added Menen.
“With
such a comprehensive service now in place we are in a good position to
help sustain Africa’s continued economic development by facilitating
international trade with its business partners and opening it up to new
markets on our ever-expanding network.”
Zambia
has been enjoying an economic boom, driven by record copper prices and
continued foreign investment in its mining industry and infrastructure,
while Zimbabwe's economy is growing at a brisk pace despite continuing
political uncertainty.
Emirates
SkyCargo expects to be transporting parts to support the mining and
infrastructure sectors – as well as of commodities such as garments,
computer parts, and pharmaceuticals - from the likes of the Far East,
Australasia, the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, Europe and North
America. Fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables will be among the main
commodities shipped in the other direction, while trade is also
expected to be generated by neighbouring countries.
EK
713 will depart Dubai on every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday at 0925hrs, arriving in Lusaka at 1450hrs. The service will
depart Lusaka at 1620hrs, arriving in Harare at 1720. The return flight
leaves Harare at 1920, arriving Lusaka at 2020. It departs Lusaka at
2150 and lands in Dubai at 0710hrs the next day.
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