Flydubai Cargo goes global with services from Dubai to Bucharest and Skopje

AFTER its launch less than a year ago, low-cost carrier flydubai Cargo has grown its freight network to cover points across the world from Hong Kong to Bangladesh and the United Kingdom and will become the first cargo operator to offer direct links next month between Dubai and Bucharest, Romania, as well as Dubai and Skopje, Macedonia.

The flight to Romania will start on October 1 while the service to Macedonia will begin on October 18, according to ArabianSupplyChain.com.

The freight carrier already serves Europe, the US, Australasia and the Far East in addition to destinations in the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), Mideast, North Africa, Indian subcontinent, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe.

Over the past ten months, flydubai Cargo has forged a number of interline agreements with airlines including Emirates and British Airways and Estonia Air as well as Coyne Airways and Jet Airways. This has helped the division extend its reach beyond flydubai's passenger network. Goods transported include general cargo, perishable items, textiles, electronics, courier, mail, and pharmaceuticals.

Said flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith: "Through these interline agreements we have opened new routes and thus new avenues for trade. We are now able to deliver goods from Sudan to Sydney and also provide Nepal's handicraft industry with access to consumers in the US, Europe and Australia."

The air carrier's cargo network has linked up with Calogi, a web based global distribution system for the air cargo supply chain, and has encouraged businesses across the world to transport goods with the Dubai carrier. Manufacturers in Serbia, for example, which was previously underserved by direct air and cargo links, export specialist sporting and spare parts to Australia via Dubai, while ship spares are transported from Amsterdam in The Netherlands, the GCC and Indian subcontinent.