Emirates SkyCargo marked its 18th year of operations to Shanghai, which was the cargo carrier’s first scheduled cargo destination in the country that signalled Emirates’ entry into the Chinese mainland.

Emirates SkyCargo said since 15 September 2002, it has provided a “continuous and robust trade link” and has facilitated exports’ movements to primary, secondary and tertiary cities across the world. 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates said some of the main exports from Shanghai included electronic devices and equipment, pharmaceuticals and raw materials for other manufacturing and industrial application.

On imports, Emirates SkyCargo helped bring in food items and flavours from around the world ranging from Norwegian salmon, lobsters from Boston and Chilean cherries.

During the pandemic, Emirates SkyCargo supported the uplift of thousands of tonnes of essential commodities including face masks, gloves, other protective gear and equipment such as ventilators manufactured in China to destinations across six continents.

"From the very early stages of the pandemic, the air cargo carrier reacted quickly and worked with various authorities to deploy adequate capacity to meet the surge in demand for the transport of PPE and other materials to combat COVID-19 from China," it said. 

Over the next few months, it noted that hundreds of cargo flights were operated from Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou to cities in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa, Australasia and other parts of Asia

"Emirates SkyCargo is an important facilitator of trade between China and the rest of the world and this is a very special milestone for us. Shanghai has been one of our main gateways over nearly the last two decades. Just between 2012 and 2019, we helped connect close to half a million tonnes of goods as exports and imports between Shanghai and the rest of the network," said Michael Qu, Emirates Cargo Manager, China.

Emirates SkyCargo offers 11 scheduled weekly flights to the Chinese Mainland, including eight flights to Shanghai, and three flights to Guangzhou.

In addition to full freighters, the carrier also offers dedicated cargo flights on passenger aircraft and loading of select cargo in the aircraft cabin to and from China.

"During the pandemic, our teams in Dubai and China have worked around the clock to move essential commodities ... with our current extensive network of more than 120 destinations across six continents, including 56 cities from the Belt and Road initiative, we are able to provide a dependable and efficient trade link," Qu added.