Emirates SkyCargo has today (10 November) officially opened its freighter cargo terminal, Emirates SkyCentral at Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central.
The opening ceremony was attended important members of management including Emirates Airlines and Group chief executive and chairman, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and Emirates SkyCargo senior vice president, Nabil Sultan.
The airline has been using Al Maktoum as its freighter aircraft base since SkyCentral became operational in May 2014. SkyCentral is close to the Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone, and is 77 kilometres from Dubai International Airport.
Sultan says: “The opening of Emirates SkyCentral is an important milestone for us, as it represents our vision for the future.”
“The space it currently occupies on the land allocated to us at Dubai South is part of a much bigger area, which can develop over time to increase our cargo handling capacity to achieve our vision of 12 million tonnes annually by 2050, from the current 2.3 million tonnes.”
Emirates are splitting operations between the two airports, with freighters landing at Al Maktoum and passenger aircraft with bellyhold capacity continuing to operate at Dubai International. It says cargo landing at Al Maktoum can be leaving in a passenger aircraft from Dubai International in five hours courtesy of its trucking service between the two airports.
SkyCentral has a one million tonne capacity and includes three temperature-controlled rooms, which can vary the temperature from 25 degrees centigrade to minus 18. It also has three, 340 square metre pharmaceutical storage rooms.
