10 May, 2017: Emirates SkyCargo and Cargolux Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a strategic operational partnership in air cargo transportation. This agreement will allow cooperation between two carriers with complementary strengths and shared values for customer service excellence. The agreement was signed at the Air Cargo Europe event in Munich, Germany in the presence of Francois Bausch, Luxembourg’s Minister of Sustainable Development & Infrastructure.

Emirates SkyCargo will utilise Boeing 747F aircraft from Cargolux. Emirates SkyCargo will, therefore, continue to have access to Boeing 747F aircraft to service customers with heavy cargo that will require nose loading or adding additional capacity, complementing its own fleet of Boeing 777 freighters.

Both carriers will further develop block space and interline agreements for use on each other’s networks permitting access to capacity on routes where they do not currently operate. This offers customers of both carriers an enhanced global reach for transporting cargo from key production markets to consumer markets. Cargolux will have access to Emirates SkyCargo’s high-frequency distribution network through the belly-hold of passenger flights to over 150 global destinations in 83 countries, whilst Emirates will have access to main deck 747 capacity on Cargolux’s network.

Emirates SkyCargo will commence freighter operations to Luxembourg from June 2017. Cargo from both Emirates SkyCargo and Cargolux will be handled at the same facility in Luxembourg. Cargolux will also increase the frequency of freighters to Dubai World Central (DWC) from its current three times a week service to facilitate connectivity between the two cargo hubs. Additionally, Cargolux freighters operating to Dubai World Central will be handled by Emirates SkyCargo.

Nabil Sultan, senior vice president, Emirates Divisional, Cargo, said, “Emirates SkyCargo is committed to being the leading player in the global air cargo industry providing our customers with the highest standards of products and services. Cooperating with Cargolux who is a leading, established and specialised air cargo operator with strengths that are complementary to our own will allow us to present a broader enriched product offering and add value to our customers.”

Richard Forson, president and CEO, Cargolux, said, “Emirates SkyCargo is an important player in the industry as Cargolux is, and our supplementary capabilities allow us to develop service offerings that both of us could not provide on our own. Emirates SkyCargo’s choice of Cargolux as their preferred partner shows that our quest for quality and personal attention to customers is recognized and well received.”