By Foster Obi
Emirates SkyCargo is helping commerce and industry get back on track as it reconnects cities to international trade. As manufacturing and other economic activities gradually return, Emirates SkyCargo is poised to continue to provide this essential connection.
Between April and June 2020, Emirates SkyCargo facilitated the movement of essential commodities and other supplies for individual consumers and businesses across the world by operating more than 10,000 cargo flights to destinations across six continents. The flights were a mix of scheduled, ad-hoc and charter operations. Over and above scheduled flight operations, Emirates SkyCargo also operated charter flights in response to Nigerian’s import and exports demands.
During the months of May and June, Emirates SkyCargo operated on an average of more than 3,800 flights per month, with the aircraft travelling to over 100 destinations and covering approximately 37 million kilometres, which is the equivalent distance of roughly 50 trips to the moon and back.
With over 35 destinations at the end of March 2020, Emirates SkyCargo has expanded its network to over 100 scheduled cargo destinations across the world for the month of July 2020.
Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo said: “As a customer focused organization, Emirates SkyCargo has innovatively adapted our cargo operations and offerings over the last few months in line with rapidly evolving market demand. In keeping with our core value as a global facilitator of trade and economies, we have re-grown our network to over 100 destinations with robust flight frequencies to key production and consumer markets. We continue to be able to offer our customers an unmatched reach and connectivity for their valuable cargo and our flight milestones are a validation of our customers’ trust in our service.”
Afzal Parambil, Emirates’ Regional Manager (West Africa) said, “As an extremely agile and customer-focused business, we are very committed to supporting the Nigerian economy and helping local business maintain continuity by keeping their supplies running across essential industries.”
Emirates SkyCargo started its operations in Nigeria in 2004. Ever since then, it has helped Nigerians import a variety of goods which ranges from mobile phones to garments, leather, beverages and personal effects. It has also facilitated exports of local produce including fresh kola nuts and other food stuff.
Since March 2020, Emirates SkyCargo has played an important role globally in the transportation of urgently required medical supplies including personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves,
pharmaceuticals, healthcare equipment, electronics such as laptops and mobile phones as more people around the world have turned to online working and learning , food items including fruits, vegetables, sea food and meat.
