EMIRATES Sky Cargo has re-written its own record for the highest cargo tonnage carried in a single day - and has done so at a time of heavy passenger traffic.
On March 10, Emirates Sky Cargo - the air freight division of the UAE's international airline - carried a record 366.7 tonnes of cargo, courier bags and mail.
This was despite the fact that March 10 was the start of a peak travelling time and Sky Cargo uses space in the hold after passenger luggage has been loaded.
Ram Menon, senior general manager cargo, said: ''This figure is impressive, firstly because we managed to carry this amount of cargo during a peak travelling period, and secondly because Emirates is a relatively small airline in terms of fleet size, operating 15 aircraft to 32 destinations.'' ''This figure reflects the excellent reputation which Sky Cargo maintains for personal service, backed by high technology and an excellent flown-as-booked record, all of which make use a sought-after airline.'' A particularly high cargo load of 21.4 tonnes on a Dubai-Bombay flight on March 10 contributed to the record figure.
The flight's payload on that day, carried on an Airbus A300, was an Emirates record for that sector, and close to the industry record for payload on an Airbus A300 of 24 tonnes.
Mr Menon estimates that by the end of this financial year tomorrow, Emirates Sky Cargo will have carried more than 87,000 tonnes system-wide, an increase of more than 32 per cent over the previous year.
