Freight Emirates SkyCargo introduces A380 “mini-freighter”

Emirates SkyCargo has announced, it has started utilising its Airbus A380 aircraft on selected cargo charter operations. A first dedicated A380 “mini-freighter” successfully transported urgently required medical supplies between Seoul and Amsterdam via Dubai.

Together with the engineering and flight operations team, Emirates has optimized the cargo capacity of the A380 to safely transport around 50 tonnes of cargo per flight. The cargo will be placed in the bellyhold of the aircraft.

In response to the urgent need and rising demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates decided to use the A380 aircraft, which now normally would stay on ground due to the many travel restrictions imposed by governments.

Emirates SkyCargo explained in a statement: "Emirates SkyCargo has introduced dedicated cargo operations on the A380 aircraft in response to the surge in the demand for air cargo capacity required for the urgent transportation of critical goods, including medical supplies for combatting COVID-19 in regions experiencing a second wave of the pandemic."

SkyCargo has also announced, that it will be working on furthermore optimizing the freight capacity of the A380 to offer more dedicated cargo flights on more aircraft. Even for November, the airline will add more A380 aircraft to SkyCargo´s temporary fleet.

Emirates SkyCargo has also set up the world´s largest EU GDP compliant airside hub in Dubai to enable a faster global distribution of a possible COVID-19 vaccine. At the hub, the vaccine can be safely stored and added services like repackaging, re-icing and redistribution of the vaccine can be performed as well.

SkyCargo is the freight subsidiary of Emirates Airline and currently flies to 135 destinations across the world. Its fleet consists of Boeing 777 Freighters and currently 14 modified Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft, where seats were removed to enable more cargo flights.

"Through its responsiveness and agility, the air cargo carrier has been able to maintain the flow of essential goods and trade across international markets during the pandemic, often providing a much required helpline to communities around the world," SkyCargo said.