Emirates lifts 27,000 tonnes of perishables and garments from Sri Lanka in 2017-18

Oct 31, 2018: Emirates’ freight division has lifted 27,000 tonnes of cargo from Colombo in 2017-18, a significant 23 percent of the 118,000 tonnes of goods the island exported by air in the year, according to figures released by the airline’s Colombo office.

The airline operates 28 flights from and into Colombo weekly and provides 20 tonnes of cargo capacity in the belly hold of each Boeing 777 aircraft.

Edible fish, fruit and vegetables, flowers and other cut foliage and readymade garments are among the principal exports that SkyCargo transports from Sri Lanka to markets around the world.

An important volume of Sri Lankan exports are perishables and Emirates SkyCargo offers specialised air transport solutions under the ‘Emirates Fresh’ umbrella that help maintain the freshness of the goods being transported.

“In 2017-18, Emirates SkyCargo carried more than 7,500 tonnes of fish, which is about 40 per cent of the 17,500 tonnes of edible fish that Sri Lanka exported to USA and Europe,” said Kapila Santhapriya, Cargo manager Sri Lanka & Maldives, Emirates.

The types of fish exported on Emirates SkyCargo include tuna, shrimp, prawns, crabs, and lobster to markets including the UK, France, Italy, Netherlands and the USA. Sri Lankan exports of fish are valued at close to $250 million.

In addition to seafood, Emirates SkyCargo also transported 5,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables from the country during the last financial year. The commodities included banana, papaya, pineapple, seasonal fruits like mangosteen (May –September) and Rambutan (May – August), bitter gourd, green chillies, drumstick, snake gourd, and red onion.

One of the main export markets for fruits and vegetables from Sri Lanka is the Middle East. Other markets include the Maldives, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Seychelles.

The volume of other general cargo carried by the freight division of the airline is 11,000 tonnes.