Emirates Airline said it may add North American freighter routes beyond the six it already serves, just as US carriers seek to block the expansion of Arabian Gulf operators they accuse of receiving subsidies.
There is an "absolute possibility" that Emirates, already the world's top international cargo carrier, will add more North American destinations using its freighter fleet, said Henrik Ambak, the senior vice president for global cargo operations.
The company has 12 Boeing 777 freighters that can carry 103 tonnes and two 747-400 freighters able to haul 117 tonnes.
While Emirates has built itself into a top cargo player using belly space in a fleet of 217 passenger jets that serve 127 cities, the carrier's SkyCargo arm offers freighter flights to 50 locations from Al Maktoum International Airport. North America, along with Africa, is the company's main growth target, Mr Ambak said.
Additional freighter routes would open a new front in Emirates' tussle with US rivals, which are beginning to feel the pinch from a capacity splurge that has already resulted in European airlines losing market share. Delta, American and United airlines are lobbying for a review of open skies deals that grant access to Gulf carriers after accusing them of receiving US$42 billion in aid.
Emirates says it currently operates twice-weekly freighters to Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles and has a five-times-a-week operation to New York in an alliance with the airline arm of the Dutch parcel service TNT Express. It also runs cargo planes to Mexico City, and carries freight in the holds of passenger jets to nine US destinations, plus Toronto.
SkyCargo, the freighter division of Emirates, is targeting a 10 per cent increase in volume in the year starting April 1, after an 8 per cent gain in the 2014 fiscal year, Mr Ambak said.
"In recent years we've very successfully built Africa through Dubai and very recently we see a sharp growth in North America," he said.
Cargo traffic to the carrier's established markets of Europe and Asia remains strong, he added.
As in the passenger market, the bulk of the cargo carried by Emirates bypasses Dubai, which serves as a transit hub, with about 80 per cent headed for markets elsewhere, Mr Ambak said.
Within SkyCargo, two-thirds of cargo moves in passenger planes from the company's main Dubai International base, and one-third through the freighters stationed at Al Maktoum International.
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