Dubai-based Emirates is due to start taking delivery of some of its five new 777Fs this year as part of a 2022 order with Boeing.

The carrier has returned four 777Fs to lessor DAE Capital over the past five years but also added two new units in May and June 2023, bringing its fleet back to eleven 777Fs.

Further growth is on the way, with Emirates planning to convert ten 777-300ERs with IAI.

Though 2023 may have been a lackluster year for freighter operators, Emirates is more optimistic about 2024.

“The year has started up very strongly; we’re seeing exceptionally high tonnages for this time of the year for traditional, past years, I would say,” Nadeem Sultan, senior vice president of freighters and cargo planning at Emirates, tells Cargo Facts in this week’s episode of the “Cargo Facts Connect” podcast, recorded at the IATA World Cargo Symposium 2024 in Hong Kong this month. “So, from that perspective, it looks like a promising year for airfreight overall. We think we probably should expect a growth from 1 to 2% overall in the airfreight market this year.”

Emirates’ expansion and development are twofold, involving more than the fleet.

“There’s a lot of aircraft capacity coming in — both passenger as well as freighter — over the coming couple of years,” Sultan said. “But equally, we’re looking at really investing into the future for our air cargo infrastructure in Dubai, in terms of a new air cargo terminal and expanding our current capabilities. And that’s something that’s going to be a key component as well of Emirates SkyCargo’s future growth strategy.”

Tune in to this week’s podcast to hear more on Emirates as Sultan speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee in Hong Kong.