January 25 - Emirates freight division, Emirates SkyCargo is enhancing its operations on African trade routes, with the launch of flights to Lusaka and Harare on February 1, 2012, bringing its weekly cargo capacity into and out of the continent to more th

The addition of flights to the capitals of Zambia and Zimbabwe comes less than three months after the launch of a dedicated weekly freighter to Accra and Lome and means Emirates SkyCargo now has a total annual capacity of more than 300,000 tonnes to and from the continent.

The two new gateways mean Emirates SkyCargo can connect businesses in 22 countries across Africa to its network of more than 100 destinations, while also providing increased opportunities for key trading partners such as China and Japan.

"While many regions are experiencing challenging economic conditions, Africa - with a population in excess of one billion and rich in natural resources - is one of the few areas to record growth and the long-term outlook is very positive," said Ram Menen, Emirates' divisional senior vice president cargo. "We expect demand to be strong for a variety of commodities going into and out of Lusaka and Harare and have no doubt the two destinations will be a strong addition to our African network."

The Dubai-Lusaka-Harare service will be operated five times a week by an A330-200, providing a total weekly cargo capacity of up to 160 tonnes.

Emirates SkyCargo said it expects to be transporting parts to support the mining and infrastructure sectors - as well as of commodities such as garments, computer parts, and pharmaceuticals - from the likes of the Far East, Australasia, the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, Europe and North America.

www.skycargo.com

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