Emirates, Dubai’s flagship airline, is expected to announce an order of more freighters in a push to expand its cargo operations, reports in local and international media said.
A senior Emirates executive said on Wednesday that it plans to announce further investment in freighters in the coming weeks.
Talks are taking place with Airbus for its newer A350 and Boeing for its 777X, with plans to triple the Emirates cargo fleet by 2030, the executive was quoted as saying.
The airline has been linked to an announcement by Boeing in September of an order for 11 777F freighters, without naming the buyer, which is typically done to allow for an announcement at a later date.
Part of that order is said to be from Emirates, sources told Reuters.
Emirates is still waiting for the long-delayed delivery of the first of its order for 205 Boeing 777X jets, a delay that has already cost the airline around $3 billion, executives said earlier this week.
Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed total global demand for air cargo rose by 11.4 percent year on year in August, the ninth consecutive month of double-digit year-on-year growth.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said this month: “We continue to see very good news in air cargo markets. This strong performance is underpinned by slow but steady growth in global trade, booming ecommerce and continuing capacity constraints on maritime shipping .”
Air cargo between the region and Europe experienced the strongest rise, with a 30 percent increase on the same time last year.
Emirates SkyCargo reported in May that it carried 2.2 million tonnes of goods around the world in 2023-24, an increase of 18 percent year on year.
The carrier’s cargo division reported revenue of AED13.6 billion ($ 3.7 billion) last year, accounting for 11 percent of Emirates airline’s total revenue.
The surge in air cargo demand in the region comes as traders look for alternatives to shipping.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is planning to launch a new cargo airline to compete with the logistics dominance of the UAE and Qatar, it was reported in August.
The proposed new cargo operation would support the country’s flag carrier, Saudia, and Riyadh Air, with Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 freighters.
