Virgin Atlantic Cargo carried over 30 per cent more cargo from Dubai in the first half of 2015, boosted by additional US routes and frequencies and traffic generated as a result of the US port disruptions, the carrier said.

For the six months ended 30 June 2015, the airline carried 2.4 million kgs ex Dubai, compared to 1.8 million kgs for the same period a year ago. Strong increases were seen in the volume of cargo destined for London as well as beyond London to the US. The airline’s additional daily frequency to New York JFK and the launch of Virgin Atlantic’s new Atlanta route both contributed significantly to the increase.

John Lloyd, senior VP cargo at Virgin Atlantic, said: “Given the intense level of competition in the region, our performance from Dubai in the opening six months of 2015 is very encouraging. Our increased capacity to the US has made a big difference and was particularly important during this period as customers looked for alternative routes into the US to avoid the port disruptions there.

“We have also seen improvements in our service levels this year after they were impacted towards the end of 2014 during our ground handler’s relocation in Dubai. The result for the first half is testimony to our customers’ confidence in Virgin Atlantic’s seamless cargo connections through our London hub and our aim now is to maintain this for the rest of the year,” Lloyd said.

Virgin Atlantic commenced operations from Dubai over nine years ago and its daily A330-300 flights each offer some 20 tonnes of cargo capacity. Access to Virgin Atlantic’s eleven US destinations from London is particularly popular with customers moving goods from Dubai, as well as the airline’s fast trucking services to other key cities across North America.

In August 2014, Virgin Atlantic awarded a new GSA contract to Globe Air Cargo in Dubai to market the airline’s freight and courier express services 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.

Shiranka Leo, managing director of Globe Air Cargo in Dubai, said: “This was the commitment we offered to Virgin Atlantic when Globe Air Cargo was awarded the GSA contract last year. It did not take long to win confidence in the market and that paved the way to successfully fill all of the available capacity.

“The Virgin brand has significant recognition and the forwarders in Dubai have responded well despite strong competition. Additionally our customer service team ensures that regular updates are communicated on-time after each departure from origin to destination. Today’s cargo industry is very demanding and the only way to stay ahead of the competition is by being professional in every aspect of the business. Our aim is to do even better in the next six months and end the year on a high, proving our capability to manage a famous brand like Virgin with integrity and total confidence.”