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Cargo carriers eye 10pc boost in business from festival

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Cargo companies in Dubai have forecast an increase of around 10 per cent in cargo movement this summer because of the allowance of extra 10 kg for passengers by some airlines operating flights from Dubai.

The facility, first introduced by Emirates airline, was adopted by many other carriers in a bid to get a piece of action as Dubai Summer Surprises.

"The activities and events of DSS has had a positive impact on cargo movement and the Dubai Cargo Village is fully geared to serve passengers," Dubai Cargo Village assistant manager Abdullah bin Kadiya said midway through the event.

"As DSS enters the fourth year, we can feel the impact to be bigger. This is reflected in the hectic activity witnessed at the offices of 93 air cargo and airline companies."

Kadiya said air cargo increased by 35,000 tonnes in the first three weeks of DSS, without taking into consideration the cargo that went by road. Most of the cargo was bound for Arab countries, indicating that the bulk of visitors were from these countries.

He attributed the increase to the extra 10 kg facility given by airlines and cargo companies. Some of the airlines gave even more, he added.

Rani Saldramin, sales manager of Ara Trans Company, said the workload increased by 10 to 15 per cent during the DSS.

"DSS and other promotions play an important role in attracting visitors to Dubai, and one can see this in the hectic activity everywhere. Cargo companies are benefiting from business in Dubai and other emirates," he said.

"The cargo companies are also giving special facilities to match the offers of airlines by reducing their commission. Due to this, I expect the cargo sector to increase business by at least 10 per cent."

Peter Rochard from Emirates World Cargo said: "Over the past three years, there has been a steady increase in cargo movement from Dubai, compared to the period before the launch of DSS. Last year, the increase was in the region of 15 per cent."

He said they expected this year's increase to top that figure as "the traditional picture of thousands of people moving out of Dubai has been replaced by thousands of outsiders coming into Dubai."

Arfan Sayed of Al Wardan Cargo said: "An important factor is the competitive pricing by different sectors in Dubai. This is one of the secrets of the success of Dubai as a great destination for shopping and entertainment."

Mohammed Yusuf of Emirates Cargo said: "Air cargo movement during DSS is expected to reach 200,000 tonnes, without taking into consideration sea and road cargo. This marks an increase of 12 per cent over."

Salim Abu Salman Adimaski of International Arab Company said: "The impact of DSS on sea cargo has been tremendous, and the next two months promise to be very hectic for us. We have been receiving many inquiries regarding container space from Arab countries including the GCC and Yemen."

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