Virgin Atlantic Cargo has appointed Globe Air Cargo as its general sales and service agent in Dubai in a move to simplify its freight and courier express sales for customers in the UAE and take advantage of the Dubai market’s strong growth forecast.

The airline carries some 5,000 tonnes a year on its daily flights from Dubai to London Heathrow. As well as the UK market, customers in Dubai use Virgin Atlantic Cargo’s network and fast air and truck connections through London to reach destinations in mainland Europe and the US, notably New York, Miami and Ohio.

Steve Hughes, Virgin Atlantic Cargo’s regional vice president for sales for the EMEA region, said: “Dubai is a very important and growing market for Virgin Atlantic. As well as cargo that originates in the UAE, it is an important connecting point in our network, such as for shipments originating in Colombo, Bangladesh and Sydney that we transport to France the US, Canada and Mexico as well as the UK. With the UAE economy set to grow by between 4 to 5 per cent in 2014, we expect to see Globe Air Cargo, as a leading GSSA in the region, further improving our performance in this market.”

He also acknowledged the strong support of Airline Cargo Resources (ACR), the airline’s former GSSA in Dubai. Virgin Atlantic Cargo previously had separate sales agency partners in the UAE for its freight and courier express services but this has now been brought together through Globe Air Cargo, part of ECS Cargo, following the start of the new contract earlier this month. 

(L-R) Kevin Hillyard, regional vice president for operations – EMEA, Virgin Atlantic Cargo; Steve Hughes, regional vice president for sales – EMEA, Virgin Atlantic Cargo; Sauro Martinelli, senior vice president of ECS Group; and Shiranka Leo, managing director of Globe Air Cargo 

 

Virgin Atlantic has served Dubai for over eight years and its daily Airbus A330-300 flights each offer some 20 tonnes of cargo capacity. 

Shiranka Leo, managing director of Globe Air Cargo FZE, said: “Virgin Atlantic Cargo has a global reputation for the quality of its service and we are proud that it has chosen to partner with ECS Group in the UAE. The airline is well-established in the UAE market and with daily services from Dubai and a great international network beyond London, we are confident of growing its cargo and courier express business from the region.”