Emirates SkyCargo restarted cargo flights to New Zealand in early May 2020 with its passenger freighter aircraft, working with the New Zealand government as part of its International Airfreight Capacity Scheme (IAFC) to connect exporters in New Zealand with their international customers.
Currently the air cargo carrier offers cargo capacity on six flights a week from Auckland and one flight a week from Christchurch connecting New Zealand to other markets in the region as well as the rest of the world through Dubai.
Last year Emirates SkyCargo transported more than 8,000 tonnes of cargo from the country on over 650 flights to close to 200 global destinations. Food items and produce formed more than half of the total exports from New Zealand.
Some of the main food exports from New Zealand included meat, which formed close to half of the total food exports from New Zealand, seafood, fruits, berries, and dairy products.
Emirates SkyCargo also helped transport hundreds of tonnes of Manuka honey from the country to international markets.
Except for a period of five weeks between end of March and early May, Emirates SkyCargo helped provide a steady channel for the flow of essential goods such as PPE and medical equipment into New Zealand and for the flow of food exports out of the country.
Emirates SkyCargo helped bring in close to 850 tonnes of essential pharmaceutical goods from Europe and India during the year 2020, amounting to close to one-fifth of the total cargo imported into New Zealand on Emirates’ flights.