Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, is set to further strengthen trade lanes between Switzerland and its worldwide network with the introduction of a weekly freighter service between Basel and Dubai.

The new freighter flight, starting September 21, will supplement the existing belly-hold cargo capacity in the Swiss market provided on Emirates’ double-daily passenger services to Zurich as well as on the daily Geneva flights, a statement said.

Emirates SkyCargo currently offers more than 380 tons of capacity each week on its routes into Switzerland. Basel, the centre of the Swiss pharmaceutical and chemical industry, will become the 40th European destination to join the Emirates SkyCargo network, giving a further boost to bilateral trade links already in place between the UAE and the region, it said.

Emirates SkyCargo will use a Boeing 777 freighter aircraft on the Basel-Dubai route, which is capable of carrying over 100 tons of cargo, and with its main deck cargo door being one of the widest of any aircraft, enabling it to uplift outsized cargo and carry larger consignments, said the statement.

“Europe is key growth region for Emirates SkyCargo and the new scheduled freighter service will create more trade opportunities for importers and exporters across the local markets and across our worldwide network. We are offering advanced Cool Chain and Priority products for goods under temperature requirement, oversize cargo and highly secured protect solutions for any valuable or vulnerable items.” said Hiran Perera, Emirates senior vice president cargo planning and freighters.

Emirates operates passenger and cargo services to 37 European destinations, with Oslo (effective September 2), Brussels (starting September 5) and Budapest (effective October 27) soon joining the airline’s global route network spanning six continents, it said.

In addition to belly-hold cargo services on Emirates’ fleet of 225 aircraft to more than 140 destinations around the world, Emirates SkyCargo has a fleet of 13 freighters, comprising of eleven Boeing 777Fs and two Boeing 747-400 ERFs that operate from their base at Dubai World Central’s Al Maktoum International Airport, it said. – TradeArabia News Service