Emirates reactivates DWC hub for COVID-19 vaccine

[caption id="attachment_92885" align="alignright" width="500"] Emirates suspended freighter operations at its SkyCentral hub at DWC at the end of March. (Photo: Emirates)[/caption] Emirates SkyCargo is reopening its SkyCentral terminal at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) to use as a hub dedicated to the handling and transport of a COVID-19 vaccine. Normally the base for all of Emirates’ freighter activities, the DWC hub had been suspended in late March as the carrier consolidated all flight operations at Dubai International Airport (DXB). According to Emirates, the SkyCentral DWC hub offers a pharma storage area of over 4,000 square meters, with the ability to store around 10 million vials at 2 C to 8 C at the same time. Emirates also uses the world’s largest fleet of temperature-controlled Cool Dollies to protect cargo while being moved between the aircraft and the terminal. The carrier has appointed a dedicated rapid response team to coordinate requests from stakeholders involved in the global vaccine supply chain. “Dubai is well-positioned to serve as a gateway and distribution hub for COVID-19 vaccines to the rest of the world,” said Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of the Emirates Group. “We have the infrastructure and logistics connections, and a geographic location that puts markets representing more than two-thirds of the world’s population within an eight-hour flying radius.” Apart from storage, Emirates SkyCargo will offer other value-added services such as re-icing and repackaging of vaccines. Henrik Ambak, SVP of cargo operations worldwide at Emirates, recently told Air Cargo World that airport infrastructure would be a more important factor than aircraft capacity in the distribution of a possible vaccine. Emirates introduced its specialized SkyPharma facility at DXB in 2016 and announced its dual-airport hub in Dubai had been certified under the European Union’s Good Distribution Practice guidelines. In 2018, Emirates launched a pharma corridor program covering key export and import cities. The network has steadily expanded. The carrier also opened a pharma facility in Chicago in 2019 . “Over the years, through our continuous investment in capabilities and processes for the transport of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, Emirates SkyCargo has managed to position Dubai amongst major global pharmaceutical customers as the year-round preferred point of transit for their valuable cargo,” said Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. “Setting up a dedicated airside hub for COVID-19 vaccines is a keystone project harnessing our network, reach and competencies to positively impact the lives of people around the world.” Emirates currently uses a combination of 777Fs and passenger 777-300ERs for cargo flights to more than 130 destinations.

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Emirates reactivates DWC hub for COVID-19 vaccine

Among US combination carriers, United Cargo leads in Q3 revenue gains

AirAsia launches Thai cargo-only flights with blockchain platform

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