Emirates has recently added Bangalore to its growing list of global freight-only destinations. The city is the airline’s 65th destination in a network now embracing 46 countries. The airlines launched its freighter service giving indications that the much-awaited direct flights from Bangalore to Dubai may soon be on the anvil. The airline, which has been seeking permission from the government of India for operation from Bangalore, finally seems to have got a breakthrough in Karnataka.

Revealed Keith A Longstaff, senior general manager, commercial operations, West Asia and Pacific Rim, Emirates, “The cargo operation was open for us and we had all the rights to suit the needs and formalities. There was a demand for freighter service available to satisfy and we are capable of fulfiling it. As far as direct flights are concerned, it is just a matter of time.”

L-R: Nabil Sultan, general manager - India and Nepal, Emirates and Keith A Longstaff, senior general manager, commercial operations, West Asia and Pacific Rim, Emirates

According to Nabil Sultan, general manager - India and Nepal, Emirates, “There is a good demand for freighter service in the region and it is surely expected to grow. India is a very important market for Emirates and this is as true for cargo as for business and tourist passengers. The addition of Bangalore to our network extends significantly, our national service for the business logistics industry.”

The weekly (Friday) flight to the new destination, part of a cargo-building programme enabled by the arrival of the third Emirates Boeing 747 freighter, has boosted the airlines cargo-only network which already includes Amsterdam, Liege, Shanghai and Taipei, with more planned. Other busy trade routes already served by the SkyCargo freighters are Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Dusseldorf, Dhaka and Kuwait, all of which are also Emirates passenger destinations.

Commenting on direct flights between Bangalore and Dubai, Sultan said, “Everything depends on how we progress with the government and the civil aviation ministry. We are working closely with the Kerala and Karnataka governments in marketing the destinations and I feel there is tremendous potential in both these areas as far as tourism is concerned. We have already started with flights from Kochi. Finally, it is just about a matter of time when we start our scheduled flights from Bangalore too.”

“We never planned to start operations in Bangalore by last year. There were rumours doing rounds, which are not true,” accentuates Sultan. “The operations should be economically viable. We will require sufficient number of flights when we start. If we have just two flights a week, it does not become viable for us economically. Daily flights would be beneficial, both for us and for the customer,” adds Sultan.