‍DALLAS — Emirates SkyCargo, the cargo division of Dubai’s national carrier Emirates (EK), is set to launch freighter flights to Narita International Airport (NRT) in Tokyo, Japan, located in Chiba Prefecture, in May 2025. 

This new cargo route, first reported by Air Cargo News, will mark the first nonstop and scheduled freighter flight connection between NRT and the Middle East, expanding EK’s network of freighter destinations worldwide to 38.

This new freighter link by EK will complement the airline's scheduled passenger services to NRT, which also offers belly hold cargo capacity.

With this new freighter link, the available cargo capacity will be boosted by 100 tonnes in each direction, transporting a variety of products such as automobile and machinery parts, semiconductor components, and pharmaceutical products.

Tokyo Narita International Airport is Japan’s largest cargo handler by the freight value processed. Furthermore, with the investment under the ‘New Narita Airport’ Development Plan, NRT is set to become the region’s leading cargo hub by the end of the decade. 

Footprint, New Route Schedule

This new freight link will enhance EK’s extensive presence and footprint in East and Southeast Asia, marking EK’s third scheduled freighter flight to Japan and providing a twice-weekly connection to Japan’s Osaka Kansai International Airport (KIX). Consequently, EK will offer 300 tonnes of freight capacity per direction weekly to and from Japan, further enhancing capacity and enabling quicker, more flexible shipments, which aligns with EK’s efficiency and reliability.

Further market expansion is expected in the coming months, with additional passenger flights to destinations such as Siem Reap, Cambodia; Da Nang, Vietnam; and Shenzhen, China. EK currently operates 57 dedicated freighter flights per week, supported by more than 290 passenger flights weekly. 

The new freighter link is expected to commence on May 23, 2025, and will arrive at NRT on May 24, 2025, a day later. It is scheduled to be operated by the Boeing 777F aircraft.

Emirates SkyCargo Flight EK9413 will depart from Dubai at 1855hr LT and arrive at NRT at 1000 LT (0100hr UTC) the next day. On the return segment, Emirates SkyCargo Flight EK9414 will leave Tokyo at 1200hr LT (0300hr UTC) after a two-hour turnaround and is scheduled to arrive back in Dubai at 1830hr LT on the same day. 

Comments from Emirates Cargo Official

Expanding our dedicated freighter network is a key priority on our 10-year strategic roadmap. Now, as we start to receive our all-new Boeing 777 freighters, we can reach new markets with enhanced capacity,” quoted Badr Abbas, Emirates SkyCargo’s Divisional Senior Vice President.

He also mentioned, “Demand for our world-class product and services has been steadily growing in Narita, particularly for pharmaceuticals and consumer electronics, transported in the bellyhold of our daily passenger flight, while large or oddly-shaped shipments such as machinery parts were diverted to KIX. The deployment of this freighter empowers us to better support our global customers with direct connectivity to and through Dubai, while growing our operations in Japan.”

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