Emirates starts scheduled freighter service to Australia

Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates Airline, will begin operating its first dedicated freighter service to Australia next week.

The service, operated by the airline’s newest Boeing 777 freighter, will fly Dubai – Singapore – Sydney – Hong Kong – Dubai weekly. The flight, EK9920, will depart Dubai every Sunday at 2035 and will touch down at Sydney International Airport at 1830 every Monday, from 12 September.

The Boeing 777 freighter has the capability to carry up to 103 tonnes of cargo and will boost Emirates SkyCargo’s import capacity to 1370 tonnes per week. Its unique features include a wide main deck cargo door for easier uplift of oversized shipments.

“2011 is proving to be a year of growth milestones for Emirates SkyCargo in New South Wales with the introduction of a dedicated weekly freighter service to Sydney, and the re-commencement of the airline’s third-daily Sydney flight in October,” said Greg Johnson, Emirates’ cargo manager in Australia.

With a long-range flying capacity and technologically advanced General Electric (GE) engines, the Boeing 777F is claimed to provide greater flexibility than any other freighter aircraft in operation today. It is said to have the lowest fuel burn of any comparable sized aircraft, consuming nearly 18 per cent less fuel than today’s freighters.

Emirates SkyCargo introduced its first Boeing 777F in March 2009. In December 2010, it operated its longest ever non-stop flight – 17.5 hours from Sydney to New York – on the Boeing 777F. Emirates is the largest operator of Boeing 777 aircraft in the world, currently with 91 in its fleet.

Emirates currently operates 63 flights per week to Dubai from Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, and 28 weekly trans-Tasman services. The airline’s fleet of 157 wide-bodied aircraft includes nine freighters.

Source: http://www.tandlnews.com.au/