Emirates Sky Cargo’s new freighter terminal to further establish Dubai as leading global air cargo and logistics hub

DUBAI, 11th November 2015 (WAM)--- Emirates Sky Cargo’s state-of-the-art cargo terminal at the Logistics District in Dubai South was officially inaugurated yesterday by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group, further establishing Dubai as a leading global air cargo and logistics hub. Named Emirates Sky Central, the cargo facility is the home of Emirates Sky Cargo’s fleet of 15 freighter aircraft, and was officially opened on the side lines of the Dubai Air Show. The event was attended by a number of dignitaries, including members of Dubai’s Executive Council, representatives from various local authorities, members of Emirates’ senior management, as well as local and international media. Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo, described the opening of Emirates Sky Central is an important milestone for the SkyCargo, as it represents our vision for future growth and firmly establishes Emirates SkyCargo as the world’s leading air cargo carrier across all its operational areas. The space it currently occupies on the land allocated to us at Dubai South is part of a much bigger area, which we can develop over time to increase our cargo handling capacity to achieve our vision of 12 million tonnes annually by 2050, from the current 2.3 million tonnes, he said He added that this facility also features the best and latest of what the air cargo industry has to offer, and enables us to give our customers a world class, efficient and seamless service no matter what their requirements. It also further establishes Dubai as a leading global air cargo hub, which has the advantage of a strategic location in the centre of trade between East and West. It takes a lot of work to bring a facility such as this to reality, Sultan said. Mohsen Ahmed, Vice President of Logistics at Dubai South, said with the launch of the Emirates SkyCargo facility, Dubai South begins an exciting new chapter in its journey towards establishing Dubai’s excellence as a logistics hub. He added that Dubai South offers the ideal connection point for sea and air cargo, which calls for rapid movement to the markets of the Middle East, Asia and Africa." Emirates Sky Central is located 77 kilometres from Dubai International Airport (DXB) - a convenient location with factories and forwarders in the surrounding areas, and in close proximity to a dedicated corridor to the Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone. With Emirates Sky Cargo’s dual operation of belly hold cargo being managed at its Cargo Mega Terminal at Dubai International and freighter cargo at DWC, cargo is moved 24/7 by truck between the two airports via a bonded virtual corridor. Since Emirates Sky Central first became operational in May 2014, the movement of cargo between the two airports has become a seamless process and is now firmly integrated into its operations, with a transit time of just five hours between the arrivals of goods to their departure from freighter to belly hold and vice versa. – Emirates News Agency, WAM - http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395287826317.html