Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates is marking the 30th anniversary of its operations to the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Since February 1990, the air cargo carrier has played an important role in facilitating exports and imports of cargo between Riyadh and the rest of the world through Dubai.
Emirates SkyCargo currently offers just over 1000 tonnes of combined export and import cargo capacity into Riyadh through its 27 weekly flights. Over the last five years, the carrier has helped transport more than 138,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Riyadh. Some of the major commodities that Emirates SkyCargo has helped transport include chilled meat, electronic equipment, pharma and other types of general cargo.
The air cargo carrier also operates flights to three other destinations in Saudi Arabia – Dammam, Jeddah and Medina – in addition to Riyadh. Overall, Emirates SkyCargo has facilitated movement of more than 365,000 tonnes of cargo into and out of the Kingdom since January 2015.
Bonded Trucking Corridors to Riyadh
In order to respond to customer demands and provide additional capacity options for businesses overseas wanting to send cargo to Riyadh, Emirates SkyCargo has also introduced two bonded trucking corridors in Saudi Arabia connecting Dammam and Medina with Riyadh.
The trucking service is operated by Eastern Allied Transport, an affiliate of Allied Transport Company, who operate Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet of 49 trucks 24*7 between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC). Emirates SkyCargo worked closely with the government and customs authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia along with the ground handling and trucking partner to implement this service.
With the introduction of the new bonded lanes, cargo bound for Riyadh can also be moved on flights to Dammam and Medina from Dubai and then trucked to Riyadh where they will go through import customs clearance. Emirates SkyCargo will offer same day delivery at Riyadh for cargo that is trucked from Dammam and Medina thereby increasing the number of connectivity and delivery time options for customers. The trucking service not only makes more optimal use of Emirates SkyCargo’s capacity into Saudi Arabia, but also allows for a wider range of connection times for cargo arriving from around the world to travel through to Riyadh.
Emirates SkyCargo is currently operating the trucking service up to five times a week based on customer demand. The trucks are tracked using GPS and cargo loaded inside the trucks are secured with tamper proof seals to ensure that cargo arrives safely at Riyadh. The main commodities being moved currently on the trucking service include garments, courier and other general cargo. Although Emirates SkyCargo currently only offers import capacity into Riyadh through the trucking service, the carrier will also evaluate export opportunities based on market demand.
Emirates SkyCargo offers cargo capacity on its fleet of over 270 aircraft including 11 Boeing 777 freighters. The air cargo carrier operates two state of the art cargo terminals at its hub in Dubai and has developed specialised air transportation products for specific industry verticals. During the Financial Year 2018/19, the carrier transported more than 2.7 million tonnes of cargo through its network.
