During the West coast port labor dispute that had the supply chain tied-up in knots, carriers and charters that normally did not fly into Rickenbacker International Airport did so, and were happy with the service. David Whitaker, the vice president of business development and communications for the airport said it had more than 100 charters make stops at the airport between mid-February to mid-April.
It worked to the airport’s benefit. Emirates SkyCargo, which was one of those visitors, was so impressed with the service it received, it has decided to launch weekly freighter service to Rickenbacker beginning May 27. The regular flow of commodities that can be carried to the Eastern U.S. by way of Columbus, and industry commitments to use Emirate’s scheduled service also factored into its decision.
The flights will be operated by a 777 freighter, departing Dubai on Wednesdays every week, with a stop in Copenhagen enroute to Columbus, then on the return, stopping in Chicago and Copenhagen on the way back to Dubai. This will become Emirate SkyCargo’s 48th destination in its worldwide freighter network and its sixth in the U.S.
Rickenbacker, an all-freighter airport, already has three arrivals and departures weekly from both Cathay Pacific and Cargolux, in addition to FedEx and UPS. Goods expected to be moved into and out of Rickenbacker by Emirates will include high fashion, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, electronics and machinery. The airport is located in southern Columbus, U.S.