Record-Setting Emirates SkyCargo Adjusts to Economic Realities
Emirates SkyCargo adjusts to ups and downs of freight business.
One of three Boeing 777-200Fs helped Emirates SkyCargo carry 1.8 million metric tons of cargo last year.
One of three Boeing 777-200Fs helped Emirates SkyCargo carry 1.8 million metric tons of cargo last year.

Emirates SkyCargo set a company record this past summer when it carried 52.87 metric tons of freight in the belly hold of one of its Boeing 777-300ERs on a flight from Karachi to Dubai. Indeed, the load, consisting mainly of dense perishable meat products and vegetable produce, marked a significant achievement for Emirates during a period of sagging fortunes in the air cargo business. But more important for the Dubai-based carrier, it testified to the cargo-carrying capability of its -300ERs, more than 60 of which it flies virtually the world over.

“We, on the cargo side of the business, love [the 777-300ER] because with a full passenger load we can carry between 25 to 27 tons of cargo,” Pradeep Kumar, Emirates senior vice president of cargo revenue optimization and systems, told AIN