Emirates SkyCargo will soon be adding the popular Indonesian Island of Bali to its Asia Pacific network, opening up a new trade lane between the island and the cargo carrier’s network of more than 140 destinations.
Bali will become Emirates SkyCargo’ s 2nd gateway in Indonesia and 24th Asia Pacific point in its global network. With the launch of its daily service to Bali, Emirates SkyCargo will offer 294 tonnes of cargo capacity per week both ways in the belly hold of a B777-300 ER which will be used on the route. The new Bali service will bring to four the number of daily flights Emirates SkyCargo has to Indonesia – three of which are to the country’s capital Jakarta.
“With Bali joining our network, it opens up new opportunities for businesses on the island as well as for those across our network of more than 140 destinations. Our hub Dubai, which is strategically located between east and west, enables us to offer our customers in the Asia Pacific region access to markets in the Middle East, Africa and Europe,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates divisional senior vice president, Cargo.
Goods expected to be carried from Bali include marine products (tuna and other fresh fish), household goods, leather goods and handicrafts mainly going to Europe, while household goods, personal effects, perishables, pharmaceuticals and automotive spares are expected to be imported, not just into Bali but also to Surabaya and Balikpapan, as well as other catchment areas.
The Asia-Pacific countries and Australia maintained its leading position among the UAE’s trade partners in terms of non-oil trade, accounting for 43 per cent, or AED 106 billion of total direct trade volume in the first quarter of 2014, according to Federal Customs Authority data.
Jakarta was Emirates’ first gateway in Indonesia when it launched its three flights per week service via Singapore and Colombo in 1992, and since March 2013, the airline has been operating three non-stop flights daily from Jakarta to Dubai with B777 aircraft. In 2014 alone, Emirates SkyCargo carried 16,000 tonnes of cargo on its three flights from Jakarta to Dubai.
