Nabil Sultan celebrated his tenth year in 2023 as Divisional Senior Vice President of Emirates SkyCargo, the cargo division of one of the biggest international airlines in the world. Nabil spent twenty years in commercial roles within the Emirates Group before assuming leadership of Emirates SkyCargo. During this time, he gained invaluable experience in management and leadership across various business areas and key international markets. With 144 destinations spread across six continents, Emirates SkyCargo is a thriving global trade facilitator thanks to the application of this expertise.
Emirates SkyCargo is expanding under Nabil’s direction, and in FY22–23, the company made a substantial contribution to the record-breaking annual results for the Emirates Group. Following this trend, Emirates SkyCargo lifted 1,035,000 tonnes in the first half of FY23–24, an 11% increase over the previous year. Emirates SkyCargo continues to outperform the market despite a general softening in the global cargo market. This is due to the division’s competitive connectivity and ability to meet customer demand with specialised products.
Emirates SkyCargo has developed a multi-vertical product portfolio to address industry-specific transportation challenges in anticipation of and response to the constantly changing market. Emirates SkyCargo introduced two new custom products under its Life Sciences and Healthcare vertical to support highly technical shipments in line with developments in healthcare and personalised medicine. While Emirates Medical Devices allows transportation from pacemakers to MRIs while adhering to GDP regulations, Emirates Vital is a specialised product for clinical trials, human samples, and cell and gene therapies.
Building on its inaugural e-commerce product, Emirates Delivers, Emirates SkyCargo extended its operations to Kuwait, offering astute Kuwaiti consumers door-to-door international delivery of goods bought from the US and the UK. Recognising the potential for e-commerce shipments in the previously underserved Middle East region, Emirates Delivers is ready to grow dramatically and provide quick, dependable, and affordable delivery options.
Additionally, Emirates SkyCargo influences the digital environment for cargo operations. The airline offers its capacity on two of the most prominent digital marketplaces, CargoAi and WebCargo, and its online booking platform on e-SkyCargo. It plans to increase its digital footprint further in Q1 2024. It is establishing a host-to-host relationship with international freight forwarder Kuehne+Nagel and giving direct access to its industry-leading goods and services via Kuehne+Nagel’s in-house reservation system.
Under Nabil’s strategic direction, Emirates SkyCargo continues to grow. Emirates SkyCargo has set forth ambitious growth plans, including investments in digital capabilities, the addition of 20 new destinations to its freighter network, and the doubling of current capacity over the next ten years, reflecting its confidence in the future of air logistics and its ability to serve its customers in a dynamic landscape.