Emirates SkyCargo launches new bespoke solutions for Life Sciences and Healthcare

The carrier will speed up connection times in Dubai for shipments

Emirates Vital and Emirates Medical Devices, developed in consultation with customers, address the global healthcare industry’s evolving needs and build on SkyCargo’s undisputed expertise and leadership in pharma logistics, the carrier announced.

Emirates SkyCargo has launched two new tailor-made solutions for the global healthcare industry under its refreshed and rebranded ‘Life Sciences and Healthcare’ product range.

The airline’s ‘Life Sciences and Healthcare’ portfolio encompasses its existing marketleading pharma transport solutions; and adds two innovative solutions—Emirates Vital and Emirates Medical Devices, both of which were developed in consultation with customers to ensure it is purpose-fit and future ready.

The Emirates SkyCargo team will be working closely with specialist freight forwarders globally to roll out these new services, a press communique indicated.

“Our Pharma business is already a market leader, and each week we move around two million kgs of pharmaceutical cargo across the globe. Since 2015, we have invested over US$ 200mn to build our capabilities and now we have strong expertise and insights into the pharma and broader life sciences space,” noted Nabil Sultan,

Facilitating a new era in global healthcare air logistics

Transporting clinical trials, human organs and tissues, cell and gene therapy, Emirates Vital (AXT) will be a white glove service with Emirates control tower team monitoring every shipment making sure we deliver as promised.

The carrier will speed up connection times in Dubai for shipments with transit times of under four hours by utilising the bulk hold of the aircraft and dedicated vans on the ramp to move the shipments to the connecting flights, the press note continued.

Emirates Medical Devices (AXM) is another new stand-alone product to support the movement of equipment for the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and monitoring of diseases. The service, which is designed to transport everything from ventilators and test kits, to X-ray machines and MRIs, ensures all cargo moved follows the developing Medical Device Regulations and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) compliant.

SkyCargo’s existing range of solutions for the safe and reliable transport of pharmaceuticals are: Emirates Pharma (AXS) for less temperature-sensitive items or shipments that already come with advanced passive packaging and utilises Emirates Pharma covers from Origin to Destination.

Emirates Pharma Plus (AXD) combines both Emirates Pharma covers and our fleet of cool dollies on the ramp in Dubai to mitigate the risk of temperature fluctuations; and Emirates Pharma Active (AXC) which offers the highest category of protection and control using active containers from six suppliers for extremely sensitive pharma products like insulin, vaccines and Oncology drugs.

World-leading logistics facilities

Emirates SkyCargo offers belly-hold cargo capacity on Emirates’ fleet of modern widebody aircraft, as well as on 11 dedicated Boeing 777 freighters. It operates two state-of-the-art cargo terminals at its hub in Dubai, offering transit times of as little as three hours air-to-air.

The terminals offer a total cargo capacity of around one million tonnes per year, with the ability to raise this to 1.3mn tonnes. There is 15,000sqm of dedicated storage for temperature-sensitive goods such as perishables and pharmaceuticals.

SkyCargo’s Pharma cool chain handling capabilities include nine main deck cool dollies, 41 lower deck cool dollies, as well as 12 refrigerated trucks. The three-tier product range provides shipping capabilities for everything from high temperature tolerance pharmaceuticals, right the way through to

high value cargo requiring active container temperature control.

Future growth

The new solutions offered under Life Science and Healthcare are the first of more developments to follow in Emirates SkyCargo’s ambition to lead the market in delivering specialist solutions that are fast, reliable, flexible, and efficient.

Emirates’ Dubai hub is in a prime position to address these demands with its modern infrastructure, progressive policies, and geographic advantage, being able to reach 2.5bn people within four hours of flight. Emirates SkyCargo is ready for the new world of logistics and we will continue to build on our capabilities to deliver ever better solutions to our customers,” concluded Nabil Sultan.

Emirates SkyCargo to double its capacity in next decade

Announces two new Boeing 747-F leases which add immediate capacity

Emirates SkyCargo has added two Boeing 747-400Fs to its freighter fleet, showing its strong confidence in the global cargo market in a current environment of volatility, the carrier revealed in a press communique.

The cargo division of Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, is expecting 15 more freighters to join its fleet from announced orders and its freighter conversion program, plus a boost in belly-hold capacity from new passenger aircraft deliveries starting with Airbus A350s in late summer 2024, followed by 777-Xs the year after.

Over the next decade, Emirates SkyCargo expects to double its existing capacity, add over 20 new destinations to its freighter network, and offer even more flexibility and services to its customers with a fleet mix of over 300 wide-body aircraft comprising: 777s, 777-Fs, 747-Fs, A350s, and A380s, the press statement continued.

“We believe even these additional planes will not be sufficient. By then, we’ll have the MRO set-up to quickly and efficiently scale-up our freighter conversion program if we needed to,” remarked Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates SkyCargo.

Secured on a long-term wet-lease basis, the two Boeing 747Fs complement Emirates SkyCargo’s existing fleet of 11 Boeing 777 freighters and are currently being deployed to Chicago three times weekly, and to Hong Kong nine times weekly, the press statement concluded.