Emirates SkyCargo announced on September 10, 2026, that it is adding weekly freighter services to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. The expansion brings its total dedicated cargo schedule for India to seven flights a week, alongside the 167 weekly passenger flights operated by Emirates. The announcement is detailed in Emirates SkyCargo’s announcement.
For exporters, the immediate change is a broader choice of cargo gateways within the carrier’s Indian network. Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad will join the freighter schedule, linking shipments from those cities to Emirates SkyCargo’s wider international cargo operation through Dubai.
The additional coverage is relevant to goods that depend on regular international air transport. Emirates SkyCargo identifies pharmaceuticals, fresh produce and other perishables, high-tech electronics, engineering and automotive components, and fashion items among the export categories it carries from India.
The carrier says it transported more than 153,000 tonnes of exports from India during FY 2025/26. It also reports more than 3,000 tonnes of weekly air-freight capacity across nine Indian gateways. The new services therefore sit within a broader Indian operation rather than representing an isolated route announcement.
Pharmaceuticals and produce remain central to the network
Emirates SkyCargo says it moves more than 650 tonnes of pharmaceuticals from India each week, along with more than 600 tonnes of fresh produce and other perishables. The figures show why additional gateways may matter to both temperature-sensitive cargo and manufactured goods, although the announcement does not specify how capacity will be divided between commodities or flights.
Seasonal exports illustrate one use of that network. Between April and June 2026, Emirates SkyCargo transported nearly 2,900 tonnes of Indian mangoes to customers around the world. That total reflects a concentrated export season, while the reported weekly capacity describes the carrier’s broader operation throughout the year.
Trade with the UAE has also increased
Within Emirates SkyCargo’s reported figures, the India–United Arab Emirates trade lane grew during FY 2025/26. The carrier supported more than 28,000 tonnes of Indian exports to the UAE, a 24% increase over the previous financial year.
Its road-feeder network carried more than 4,500 tonnes of imported and exported freight over the past 12 months to locations without direct air links. That ground coverage extends the practical reach of the air network beyond the cities served by freighter or passenger aircraft.
Emirates SkyCargo says its capacity is distributed across an Emirates fleet of more than 280 aircraft, including dedicated freighters, serving more than 150 destinations. The new Indian frequencies consequently add coverage to an established logistics system connected through Dubai.
For shippers, the meaningful development is the increase in scheduled freighter coverage and the addition of three Indian departure points. The published announcement confirms the overall schedule and network figures, but not the capacity available on each new service. The operational benefit will consequently depend on how those flights match an exporter’s origin, destination, timing and cargo requirements.
Emirates SkyCargo is expanding the number of Indian gateways with dedicated freighter access, while the detailed route-by-route capacity remains to be confirmed. Exporters in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad are the most directly affected by the change.
Official sources
Primary source: Official source: emirates.com