Working in India Is Something That I Will Never Forget

The story and success of Emirates Airline is so intertwined with the incredible development and the envious growth of Dubai as a cosmopolitan city that keeps setting new global benchmarks in urban development and living. The airline has achieved phenomenal growth in the three decades that it has been in operation.

Emirates maintained its rapid growth momentum despite geopolitical unrest in the region, volatile global economies and in a prolonged low oil price scenario. From what started off as a two wet-leased aircraft from Pakistan International Airlines in 1985 and flying to Karachi, New Delhi and Bombay, it’s been a phenomenal journey for Emirates in the last 31 years. The growth has been extraordinary even for the cargo operations of the airline. Emirates SkyCargo’s route network connects cargo customers to over 150 cities in 82 countries on six continents and operate in many of the world’s fastest developing markets, including 27 gateways in Africa, 18 in South Asia, 16 in the Middle East, 24 in the Far East, 7 in Australasia, 41 in Europe and 20 in North and South America. The cargo hold capacity comprises Emirates’ fleet of over 245 aircraft, including 15 freighters – 13 Boeing 777-Fs and two B747-400ERFs. In the 2015-16 financial year Emirates SkyCargo recorded a 6 percent increase in airfreight and uplifted 2.5 million tones of cargo. It contributed 14 percent of the airline’s total transport revenue in the same year. In an exclusive interview to Reji John, Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President for Cargo, speaks about creating value for its customers, constantly innovating to offer the best solutions and to invest in world class facility for the air cargo industry. Sultan opens up on working in India and what he learnt from a complex, dynamic and emerging market. Edited excerpts.