Emirates’ SkyCargo launches cargo flight to LA

Even as airline companies are reeling under a funds crunch worldwide, Dubai-based Emirates Airline’s cargo division, Emirates SkyCargo, has launched a non-stop flight between Dubai and Los Angeles soon.

The cargo service to Los Angeles International Airport, which is the 12th busiest cargo airport in the world handling 1.88 million tones of cargo last year, is seen as a major step from Emirates. Initially operating three times a week, Emirates will fly a Boeing 777-200LR on the route, offering up to 10 tonnes of cargo capacity in each direction.

The new service has been welcomed by American fruit and vegetable exporters whose produce is expected to account for the majority of the cargo tonnage on the US outbound flight, along with US Postal Service mail. Inbound to the US ’s second largest city, the main cargoes will be textiles from the Indian subcontinent, courier mail and, of course, equipment for the Hollywood film industry.

According to Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo Ram Menen, “Emirates SkyCargo is very committed to the US , which has proved a very successful market for us. In June this year we doubled our weekly capacity to Toledo , and upped our Houston flights in February from three times a week to daily.  To ensure our customers receive the highest standard of Emirates service, we have built a team with more than four decades of experience in the LA air cargo market between them.”

Going by the response Emirates SkyCargo has had from its US customers, who have wanted a service linking the US west coast to Dubai for a long time, the airline expects that Los Angeles will emulate the successes of Emirates other US destintions. Los Angeles , the manufacturing capital of the US , is the third US destination to which Emirates SkyCargo has launched services since June 2007 when it commenced a Boeing 747 freighter service to Toledo in Ohio .

The airline had expanded its American network, commencing flights to Houston in December. Further, in a few weeks, the award winning carrier will launch services to the northern Californian city of San Francisco. Emirates SkyCargo’s global route network spans 101 cities in 61 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.