Emirates airline builds new hub for perishables

A new and additional logistics hub for the “World’s Best Airline” is being constructed at Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport. The new freighter base will allow expansion of Emirates’ cool chain services. It will feature a dedicated perishable temperature controlled area, de-linked from the temperature zone for pharmaceutical and healthcare cargo. Emirates is also working on innovative solutions to provide a streamlined service for the perishable supply chain, the launch of which is planned for early this summer.  “We are currently working on developing our facilities including our ‘Cool Dollies’ with a real time automated temperature mapping system. In the next stage our aim is to develop this at shipment level (with single-use data loggers),” said André Martin, senior corporate communications manager at Emirates Airlines.  With its three Cool Chain solutions (basic, advanced, premium), Emirates SkyCargo is able to meet the varying demands of the perishable industry across its global network. Its major trade lanes for fruits, vegetables and flowers are from Africa into Europe and the Middle East, for meat (chilled and fresh) these are mainly from Australia, New Zealand and the sub-continent, while source markets like South America are also in strong focus, with shippers using its cool chain products.