Emirates SkyCargo completes first paperless flight

Emirates SkyCargo, a leading force in the industry drive towards e-freight, recently marked a milestone with its inaugural paperless flight. EK702, from Mauritius to Dubai, became the first flight on its global network to operate with a hold filled entirely with shipments which had been processed electronically.

The Boeing 777-300ER, with a belly-hold capacity of 23 tonnes, transported a diverse load, including bank notes, flowers, fruits such litchis, clothing, textiles and courier items.

E-freight is a collective cargo industry initiative facilitated by IATA with the goal of removing all paper Air Waybills, as well as every other document and certificate, by the end of 2014.

Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline, is on track to meet the 2014 target.

“We firmly believe e-freight will become the industry standard and those who embrace the changes first will be best placed to reap those benefits,” said Ram Menen, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo. “It is with great pride then that we are celebrating our first e-freight flight, which will act as a catalyst across our global network of 109 destinations.

“This marks a significant step towards working in a completely electronic environment, which will bring enhanced operational efficiency to the supply chain, streamlining processes, increasing speed and reducing costs. By reducing paper and the carriage of paper on aircraft, e-freight will improve reliability, increase accuracy and, of course, bring environmental benefits.”

Emirates launched its Mauritius service in September 2002 and cargo capacity was increased to 188 tonnes per week each way when connections to the island were extended to nine flights per week in June 2009.

“A tremendous level of cooperation and coordination was required to make this flight happen so great credit must go the numerous stakeholders, from freight forwarders to ground handlers, shippers and customs authorities,” said Michael Harmon, Emirates’ Cargo Manager Mauritius and Seychelles.

EK 701 and EK 3703 take off from Dubai International Airport at 03:05 hrs on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday - and Monday, Wednesday, Saturday - respectively, touching down at SSR International Airport in Mauritius at 09:35 hrs on the same day. They turn around as EK 702 and EK 3704, departing Mauritius at 23:20 hrs and arriving in Dubai the next day at 05:45 hrs. EK 3705 leaves Dubai at 10:20 hrs on Thursday and Saturday and lands in Mauritius at 16:50 hrs. EK 3706 departs Mauritius at 18:30 hrs and arrives in Dubai at 00:55 hrs the next day.

Emirates’ 152-strong fleet is one of the youngest in the skies. Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet includes seven freighters (three Boeing 747-400Fs, two 747-400ERFs and two 777Fs) and now serves 109 destinations in 65 countries on six continents.

In the 2009-10 financial year, Emirates SkyCargo carried 1.6 million tonnes of cargo, an improvement of 12.2 per cent over the year’s previous 1.4 million tonnes. Cargo revenue, at AED 6.3 billion (US$ 1.7 billion), including mail and courier, contributed 17.2 percent of the airline’s total transport revenue.

In 2010, the carrier has already won a clutch of awards: ‘Cargo Airline of the Year’, ‘Best Cargo Airline to the Middle East’ and ‘Best All Cargo Airline’ at the prestigious Cargo Airline of the Year Awards 2009 from Air Cargo News. It was bestowed the Gold Award at the Annual Air Cargo Excellence Awards at the IATA World Cargo Symposium.