Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, is set to increase its cargo capacity to Tokyo, starting June 3 when Emirates launches a daily non-stop flight between Dubai and Haneda Airport.

Haneda Airport is located in Ota-ku, Tokyo, and handles the majority of domestic flights to and from Tokyo; it opened its doors to international carriers following the opening of the fourth runway and the international terminal in October 2010.

Haneda is currently ranked as the second busiest airport in Asia, and will become Emirates third gateway into Japan, the others being Osaka and Narita in Tokyo.

With the new daily flight to Haneda, Emirates SkyCargo is able to provide an additional 210 tonnes of cargo capacity per week, further supporting Japanese exports of mechanical components, electronic goods and automobile parts, and its imports of gas and oil products, a statement from the airline company said. Dubai is an important hub for the re-export of Japanese manufactured products to the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

“The Japanese market is very important for Emirates SkyCargo, and with our Dubai hub strategically located in the Middle East, we connect east and west. This gives our customers in Japan access to our extensive network to the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Africa. With the operation of a double daily to Tokyo, we will be able to offer customers more flexibility due to the different locations of Narita and Haneda, scheduling and connectivity,” said Ravishankar Mirle, Emirates vice president, commercial cargo for East and West Asia, Australasia and Indian Ocean.

“Haneda is also conveniently located close to the city, which gives it the distinct advantage for perishable imports, such as fish and flowers, to be cleared faster after the midnight arrival, which reduces time to market.”

Emirates has been operating to Japan since 2002 when it introduced non-stop flights to Osaka, followed by its service to Narita International Airport in 2010.

With a fleet of 200 aircraft, 11 of which are freighters, Emirates now flies to 132 destinations, having launched services to 15 destinations in 2012. Warsaw and Algiers joined the network this year on February 6 and March 1 respectively. From October 1, Emirates will begin daily, non-stop flights to Clark International Airport, the airline’s second destination in the Philippines. – TradeArabia News Service