Emirates SkyCargo to expand operations with Cargolux Airlines tie-up

Emirates's freighter arm will work with the Luxembourg-based carrier to boost the global reach and coverage of both companies' cargo services.

SkyCargo's agreement will give it access to Cargolux's fleet of Boeing 747-8 jumbo jets. Elaine Thompson / AP

Emirates SkyCargo and Cargolux Airlines today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic operational partnership in air cargo transportation.

In what the Dubai airline said was the first agreement of its kind in the air cargo industry between a mainline carrier and a specialised freighter operator, the MoU will allow cooperation between two carriers with complementary strengths and shared values for customer service excellence. The agreement was signed at the Air Cargo Europe event in Munich, Germany.

Under the agreement, Emirates SkyCargo will utilise Boeing 747F aircraft from Luxembourg-based Cargolux.

Emirates SkyCargo will therefore continue to have access to Boeing jumbo jets to service customers with heavy/outsized cargo that will require nose loading or adding additional capacity, complementing its own fleet of Boeing 777 freighters.

Both carriers will be able to use each other’s networks permitting access to capacity on routes where they do not currently operate. This offers customers of both carriers an enhanced global reach for transporting cargo from key production markets to consumer markets, Emirates said. Cargolux will have access to Emirates SkyCargo’s high frequency distribution network through the belly-hold of passenger flights to over 150 global destinations in 83 countries, while Emirates will have access to main deck 747 capacity on Cargolux’s network.

Emirates SkyCargo will start freighter operations to Luxembourg from June 2017. Cargo from both Emirates SkyCargo and Cargolux will be handled at the same facility in Luxembourg. Cargolux will also increase the frequency of freighters to Dubai World Central (DWC) from its current three times a week service to facilitate connectivity between the two cargo hubs. Additionally Cargolux freighters operating to Dubai World Central will be handled by Emirates SkyCargo.

“Cooperating with Cargolux … will allow us to present a broader enriched product offering and add value to our customers,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president for cargo.

Emirates SkyCargo’s cargo hold capacity comprises an all wide-body fleet of close to 260 aircraft, including 15 freighters – 13 Boeing 777-Fs and two B747-400ERFs.

Cargolux is Europe’s leading all-cargo airline with a fleet composed of 14 Boeing 747-8 freighters and 12 Boeing 747-400 freighters. The Cargolux worldwide network covers 90 destinations, some 70 of which are served on scheduled all-cargo flights. The company has more than 85 offices in over 50 countries, and operates an extensive global trucking network to more than 250 destinations as well as full and part-charter services. The company is specialised in B747 line and hangar maintenance up to and including C-Checks. It offers a range of specialised maintenance services and holds line maintenance approval for 777 aircraft.

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