Emirates SkyCargo reaffirmed Best Cargo Carrier Middle East

The awards ceremony and gala dinner took place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Hong Kong recently and was attended by over 400 senior figures from the travel, transport and logistics industry.

The AFSCAs are widely regarded as the most authoritative and prestigious awards for the industry in Asia and one of the highlights of the Asian freight industry calendar.

The honour comes as Emirates SkyCargo continues its rapid expansion worldwide offering excellent service, innovation and flexibility to its customers.

On receiving the award, Peter Sedgley, Emirates' Vice President Cargo Commercial Operations said: "Emirates SkyCargo is delighted to win this AFSCA award, which is highly respected in the cargo industry. We are flattered to be recognised by the readers of Cargonews Asia, who have voted us as the best cargo carrier in the region. Through our cargo hub in Dubai, we continue to enhance our services to offer customers an ever-increasing choice and convenient access to markets in Asia Pacific, Indian Sub-continent, Africa, Europe and North America."

Emirates SkyCargo now serves a global network of 77 destinations in 54 countries, including 22 destinations with its six freighter aircraft. It has launched belly-hold services to nine routes since January 2004, including Seychelles in January and Seoul on 1st May this year. The cargo division will commence new belly-hold services to Alexandria and Hamburg later this year; and to Beijing in February 2006.

From Hong Kong, Emirates SkyCargo currently offers nine dedicated Boeing 747-400 freighter services each week to Dubai, in addition to belly-hold services in the airline's 12 weekly passenger services. To the existing two weekly direct services, Emirates will add three more in September, increasing it to a direct daily service from 1st October, taking its total number of services between Hong Kong and Dubai to 17 per week.

The AFSCAs awards are organised by Cargonews Asia, the leading trade publication newspaper in the region, with its readers invited to vote for their favourite companies in each category. The awards recognize excellence among companies from Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, reflecting the global nature of the cargo industry serving Asia's shippers.

The AFSCA award come fast on the heels of Emirates SkyCargo's triumph at the annual awards presented by Air Cargo News, UK, where it won 'Best cargo airline to the Middle East' for an unprecedented 17 consecutive years; 'Best cargo airline to the Indian Subcontinent' for the eighth time and 'Best cargo airline to the Far East' for the second time.