Emirates SkyCargo expands India freighter network to seven weekly flights

Emirates SkyCargo has added freighter services to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, taking its India network to seven weekly flights. The added capacity supports export supply chains spanning fashion, perishables, electronics, pharmaceuticals and automotive components.

— Source publishedThu, 10 Sept, 2026, 18:04 IST·First seen Thu, 10 Sept, 2026, 18:12 IST·Source The Hindu BusinessLine

What happened

Emirates SkyCargo added weekly freighter services to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, taking its India network to seven weekly flights. The added capacity

Key facts

  • 7 freighter flights per week to India
  • Over 153,000 tonnes transported from India in FY26

Why this matters

Companies with India-based sourcing or export operations should assess Emirates SkyCargo’s added freighter capacity as a way to diversify logistics partners and improve transit flexibility.

What to watch

  • Emirates SkyCargo load factors, freight yields and any further increase in India freighter frequencies.
  • Air-cargo rate changes on India-to-Dubai, Europe and North America lanes.
  • Export order growth in Indian apparel, electronics, pharmaceuticals, fresh food and automotive components.
  • Customs dwell times and cold-chain handling capacity at Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad airports.
  • Competing capacity additions from Qatar Airways Cargo, Turkish Cargo, Etihad Cargo and integrators.
  • Global retailer sourcing announcements or new vendor onboarding in southern Indian manufacturing clusters.
  • Indian apparel, electronics and perishables exporters should assess whether added uplift supports more frequent, lower-inventory shipments to Gulf and European retail customers.
  • Retail sourcing teams should compare total landed cost and transit reliability from Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad against Mumbai, Delhi and competing Asian export hubs.
  • Freight forwarders and 3PLs should expand consolidation, cold-chain and customs-clearance offerings around the three airports.
  • Consumer-goods suppliers should prioritize airfreight for launch-sensitive, high-margin, short-shelf-life and stockout-prone SKUs rather than shifting broad-based volume from ocean freight.