First inbound flight arrives with seven tonnes of PPE from Shanghai
* Inaugural outbound flight carries 35 tonnes of Irish exports to global markets
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates has announced the resumption of its cargo services to Dublin. The first cargo flight (since March 24th) landed at Dublin Airport, on 30th April, carrying seven tonnes of protective face masks and goggles. The much-needed PPE supplies were brought into Ireland on an Emirates Boeing 777 passenger aircraft via Dubai and originating in Shanghai.
The weekly service will also serve to support the Irish export market and provide a welcome lifeline to many local businesses reliant on overseas markets. The aircraft departed Dublin carrying more than 35 tonnes of cargo including food items for the Dubai market; seafood for Hong Kong and pharmaceuticals destined for Asian and Australian markets. Between January and April 2020, more than 150 tonnes of food had been exported from Ireland to UAE on Emirates’ flights.
Emirates Boeing 777 aircrafts have a cargo capacity of 50 tonnes and Enda Corneille, country manager for Emirates in Ireland announced the news about the resumption of Emirates’ cargo flights to Dublin said that he anticipated a ramping up of the service over the coming weeks, but on a phased basis.
Globally, Emirates SkyCargo has rapidly scaled up its cargo services in an effort to connect an increasing number of international markets and to help maintain and replenish essential supplies such as medicines and pharmaceutical products, personal protection equipment and food items during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Under normal circumstances, Emirates SkyCargo operates a twice daily service from Dublin,” said Enda Corneille. “Emirates flights from Dublin ceased in late March, but soon after were put in place a temporary solution for SkyCargo customers, offering daily, temperature-controlled truck services from Dublin, which connected with cargo flights from London Heathrow, Amsterdam and Brussels. So, with the arrival of the first Emirates aircraft in Dublin for more than a month, it really is a seminal moment for the team in Ireland as we resume Emirates SkyCargo services, albeit on a much reduced level.
“We don’t yet know when more Emirates SkyCargo services will be added to the schedule. But we are hopeful that given the huge demand in the Irish market, both for essential PPE supplies from overseas, and from exporters trying to sustain their business operations, that we will see more flights coming on stream over the coming weeks.”
Health & safety first
Since March, Emirates SkyCargo has already established protocols for its teams around the world to practice protective measures including regular hand washing, practicing social distancing and wearing of equipment including masks and gloves. Emirates SkyCargo is currently operating flights to around 60 global destinations on a scheduled basis and to many more destinations as charter and ad hoc operations.
