The air cargo sector continues to grow in the Middle East with carriers announcing capacity increases at a regular clip. Among the latest to do so is Dubai-based Emirates SkyCargo, which is increasing its cargo capacity to Tokyo, when Emirates launches a daily non-stop flight between Dubai and Haneda Airport beginning June 3.
Haneda Airport is located in Ota-ku, Tokyo, and handles the majority of domestic flights to and from Tokyo. It opened its doors to international carriers following the opening of the fourth runway and the international terminal in October 2010. Haneda is ranked as the second busiest airport in Asia and will become Emirates third gateway into Japan, the others being Osaka and Narita, Tokyo.
With the new daily flight to Haneda, Emirates SkyCargo is able to provide an additional 210 tonnes of cargo capacity per week, further supporting Japanese exports of mechanical components, electronic goods and automobile parts, and its imports of gas and oil products. Dubai is an important hub for the re-export of Japanese manufactured products to the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.
“The Japanese market is very important for Emirates SkyCargo, and with our Dubai hub strategically located in the Middle East, we connect east and west,” says Ravishankar Mirle, Emirates vice president, commercial cargo for east and west Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean. “This gives our customers in Japan access to our extensive network to the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Africa. With the operation of a double daily to Tokyo, we will be able to offer customers more flexibility due to the different locations of Narita and Haneda, scheduling and connectivity. Haneda is also conveniently located close to the city, which gives it the distinct advantage for perishable imports, such as fish and flowers, to be cleared faster after the midnight arrival, which reduces time to market.”
Emirates has been operating to Japan since 2002 when it introduced non-stop flights to Osaka, followed by its service to Narita International Airport in 2010.
With a fleet of 200 aircraft, 11 of which are freighters, Emirates now flies to 132 destinations, having launched services to 15 destinations in 2012. Warsaw and Algiers joined the network this year on Feb. 6 and March 1, respectively. Beginning Oct. 1, Emirates will begin daily, non-stop flights to Clark International Airport, the airline’s second destination in the Philippines.
Etihad Cargo, another fast growing carrier, is also adding global capacity. The UAE-based airline recently added Washington, D.C., to its global cargo network, in addition to boosting frequency to Hong Kong via its strategic partner Air Seychelles.
Turkish Cargo is also in expansion mode with its latest move being the addition of Istanbul to Guangzhou, China, freighter service.
Also, El Al Cargo recently signed an interline agreement with AeroMexico Cargo, which operates a B767-200F freighter in addition to passenger aircraft. The routes include Mexico City to Tel Aviv via JFK.
