Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, carried more than 57,000 tonnes of exports out of the United Kingdom during the 2025-26 financial year, an 11 percent increase over the previous year, the carrier said Monday.

The airline said UK exports continued to grow between April and June 2026, rising 7 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, with aerospace components, life sciences products and perishable food among the main drivers.

Khawla Abdulla, vice president of Cargo Commercial Europe at Emirates SkyCargo, said the growth reflected the rising importance of fast, reliable and globally connected logistics networks in enabling international trade. She said the carrier's Dubai hub linked UK production centres directly to markets in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australasia, and that Emirates SkyCargo remained focused on connecting British businesses with international opportunities as demand grows. 

Emirates SkyCargo operates more than 140 weekly wide-body cargo flights from eight UK gateways, including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted, according to the company.

Aerospace exports surge

Between January and June 2026, the carrier transported more than 570 tonnes of aircraft parts and aerospace components from the UK to Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. Its AOG (aircraft-on-ground) service, which handles urgent aviation parts shipments, grew more than 300 percent year-on-year over the same period, the company said. Most of the high-tech and aerospace cargo it carries originates from manufacturing clusters around Manchester and London.

The carrier also said it had transported data centre equipment and server racks from the UK to international markets.

Pharmaceuticals and perishables

Emirates SkyCargo carried more than 1,600 tonnes of pharmaceuticals from the UK in the first half of 2026, including over 26 tonnes of clinical trial medications. Newcastle serves as a key gateway for pharmaceutical exports from the northeast England life sciences sector, the company said.

On the food side, the carrier exported more than 1,500 tonnes of Scottish shellfish and over 1,200 tonnes of smoked salmon in the first half of the year, much of it shipped via Glasgow and Edinburgh. More than 1,000 tonnes of UK food products were flown to the United Arab Emirates during the period — equivalent to 10 fully loaded Boeing 777 freighter loads — including roughly 250 tonnes of strawberries and 150 tonnes of cheese.

The company said it also carried premium UK-manufactured automobiles and artworks bound for museums and collections abroad, alongside consumer goods moved through its Emirates Courier Express door-to-door delivery service.

Fleet expansion

Emirates SkyCargo operates cargo capacity across Emirates' fleet of more than 280 aircraft, including dedicated freighters. Since March 2026, the carrier has taken delivery of six new Boeing 777-F production freighters and its first Boeing 777-300ERSF, a passenger aircraft converted for cargo use. Four more 777-F freighters and a second 777-300ERSF are expected to join the fleet by the end of 2026, the company said.

Source: PR