Asia capacity expansion boosts Emirates SkyCargo

Emirates SkyCargo now offers more than 21,000 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity to and from East and Southeast Asia, following the addition of bellyhold services to Hangzhou, China. The Dubai-based carrier operates dedicated freighters to nine gateways in the region, with 44 weekly flights—the highest freighter frequency on its global network—alongside 13 weekly charter services. These are complemented by 311 weekly passenger flights, using Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, to move additional cargo.

Daily passenger services between Dubai and Hangzhou, launched in July with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, provide around 16 tonnes of capacity per flight. Typical shipments include e-commerce goods, pharmaceuticals, smart devices, and other high-value products.

In total, Emirates SkyCargo serves 25 gateways across 12 countries and territories in East and Southeast Asia. Each week, it transports over 450 tonnes of perishables, 100 tonnes of pharmaceuticals, 75 tonnes of electronics, 180 tonnes of garments, and more than 1,300 tonnes of e-commerce shipments.

The carrier is also strengthening partnerships to boost trade flows. In April, it signed an MoU with Teleport, the cargo arm of AirAsia, to support regional e-commerce and trade. That same month, it launched a weekly freighter service from Dubai to Narita International Airport near Tokyo—the first scheduled direct freighter link between Narita and the Middle East—carrying pharmaceuticals, semiconductor parts, and oversized machinery components.