OREANDA-NEWS. April 08, 2014. At an event celebrating Hartsfield-Jackson’s cargo community, airport officials announced today that Emirates SkyCargo will begin service to Atlanta on April 6. Initially, Emirates will operate a Boeing 777 freighter flight weekly between Atlanta and Dubai. The new service is expected to have up to USD6 million in annual economic impact on metro Atlanta.

“I am thrilled to welcome Emirates SkyCargo to Atlanta,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “Emirates’ decision to operate a direct route from Dubai to Atlanta further elevates Atlanta as a globally competitive city and also grows our cargo capacity significantly.”

“Emirates is now the 11th cargo carrier with service to Atlanta,” said Hartsfield-Jackson Interim General Manager Miguel Southwell. “At Hartsfield-Jackson, we are focused on expanding our reach by responding to the needs of our customers and providing more opportunities for economic growth. By forging new partnerships—such as today’s announcement with Emirates—we are moving forward in becoming one of the world’s premier logistical hubs.”

“The United States is a very important growth market for Emirates SkyCargo, with Atlanta being a major commercial and aviation hub. The introduction of a weekly freighter service will create new opportunities for our customers across our worldwide network, especially the Middle East, Asia and Africa, as well as for businesses in the greater Atlanta area,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

The announcement was made at the Airport’s sixth annual Air Cargo Appreciation Day, at which several carriers took away top honors.

This year’s winners were:

Lufthansa Cargo, All-Cargo Airline of the Year
Delta Air Lines, Passenger/Cargo Airline of the Year
Kuehne & Nagel, Freight Forwarder of the Year
J&P Hall Express, Trucking Company of the Year