Throughout 2024, the demand for Emirates SkyCargo’s specialist product portfolio, extensive global network and all widebody fleet continued to grow exponentially, with no signs of slowing down. To meet the burgeoning global demand, the airline has wet-leased two additional Boeing 747 freighters, starting 2025 with a 15% increase in critical main deck cargo capacity, compared to January 2024.
Badr Abbas, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates SkyCargo said: “Throughout 2024, we made significant investments in new and leased freighter aircraft to address the evolving supply chain and air cargo demands around the world to ensure we had a stable supply of capacity to best serve our global customers. This remains a key priority for Emirates SkyCargo, as we set our sights on the next era of growth.
“We anticipate that demand will continue to boom, reflecting Dubai’s prominence as a global logistics hub. Enhancing our cargo capabilities is essential to support Dubai’s Economic Agenda, enabling us to reach new destinations, bolster our current operations and elevate our specialist product portfolio.”
The multi-year lease for the Boeing 747s was signed with the Compass Group, one of Emirates SkyCargo’s longstanding and most reliable partners. This investment in additional Boeing 747F capacity enables the airline to unlock immediate capacity to cater to customer demand, while the partners discuss avenues for further expansion of the collaboration.
Emirates SkyCargo’s leasing strategy complements its owned fleet, which continues to grow. In 2024, the airline received two of its new Boeing 777Fs, which immediately entered service, with a focus on the increasing demand of eCommerce shipments from Asian markets. The additional aircraft also enabled Emirates SkyCargo to expand its network of destinations served by freighters to 38, with the deployment of a weekly freighter to Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Emirates SkyCargo active operating fleet now consists of 10 Boeing 777Fs and six wet-leased Boeing 747s, bringing the aircraft count to 16. The airline also has 13 Boeing 777Fs on order, with expected delivery between 2025 and 2026. This substantial orderbook will support the airline through its next phase of growth, while it explores all options for the future fleet, including the Boeing 777-8F and Airbus A350-1000F.
Facilitating the swift, reliable and efficient movement of goods, Emirates SkyCargo harnesses the widebody fleet and multi-frequency schedules of Emirates’ passenger operations. The recently increased passenger flights to key cities including Madagascar via the Seychelles, Uganda and Ethiopia, followed by Johannesburg, South Africa and Melbourne, Australia before the end of the financial year, will further bolster the freight division’s capacity to transport goods worldwide. Finally, the arrival of the first A350, which entered service this month, will further boost bellyhold capacity, offering 12 tonnes on every flight.
