EMIRATES Airways’ outbound cargo volumes jumped by 60% to over 2 000 tonnes on the Harare-Dubai route between 2018 and 2019, a senior official has said.
Latest figures show the airline’s SkyCargo division recorded a 59,73% increase of goods ferried as it transported 2 009 tonnes of outbound cargo from Zimbabwe, including seasonal fruits and vegetables as compared to the 1 200 tonnes transported in 2017-2018.
Within 2018-2019, Emirates also recorded an increase in imports, carrying 2 482 tonnes of general goods, including pharmaceuticals.
Emirates SkyCargo manager Emmanuel Museniwa said local businesses had partnered with the airline. he said his company provided specialised solutions for transporting perishables.
“Carrying more than 2 000 tonnes of export cargo is an important milestone for us in Zimbabwe, and we are delighted that business in Zimbabwe has chosen Emirates SkyCargo as its partner to transport that important freight, benefitting from our ‘Emirates Fresh’ specialised solutions for transporting temperature-sensitive perishable goods such as vegetables, fruit and flowers,” Museniwa said.
Last year, Emirates flew 155 023 passengers on the Harare-Lusaka-Dubai route. Dubai was the top destination for travellers from Harare, followed by London, Beijing, New York and Washington DC.
Top destinations for inbound travellers to Harare were Dubai, London, Beijing, Birmingham and New York.Emirates country manager Nasser Bahlooq also highlighted that the airline’s presence in Zimbabwe had helped boost the economy.
“Emirates connects people and places around the globe, offering them excellent service and value for money. Almost eight years ago we brought our service to Harare, contributing to Zimbabwe’s economy through tourist arrivals, foreign exchange earnings, employment generation, horticultural exports and business and investment connections, and we still remain committed to Zimbabwe,” Bahlooq said.
There are 195 Zimbabwean nationals employed by Emirates, including nine pilots and 33 cabin crew.Emirates launched its service from Harare in 2012 and operates the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the route, each with capacity to carry 360 passengers and 25 tonnes of cargo.
Globally, Emirates carried over 59 million passengers on its 3 700 weekly passenger flights in 2018. Emirates operated over 192 000 flights with its fleet of 274 aircraft last year in its vast network of more than 159 destinations.
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