From 5 December 2026, Emirates SkyCargo will introduce a weekly freighter flight between Milan Malpensa and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, operated with a Boeing 777F. The service will provide additional dedicated capacity for pharmaceuticals, luxury goods and industrial components exported from Italy. In the opposite direction, shipments will be able to continue to the Middle East and Asia via Dubai. Badr Abbas, Senior Vice President of Emirates SkyCargo, highlights Malpensa's role in the carrier's network: from the airport, the airline offers more than 500 tonnes of weekly export capacity to global markets, including over 100 tonnes in the belly holds of passenger flights to New York. Exports from Milan carried by the airline increased by 13% in the 2025/26 financial year compared with the previous year, while New York, Emirates SkyCargo notes, is the leading air cargo destination for Italian goods. A weekly freighter service to Dubai World Central already operates from Malpensa.
From the four Italian airports served (Bologna, Milan, Rome and Venice), the carrier provides more than 1,000 tonnes of weekly export capacity, supported by a road feeder service connecting businesses located away from the airports. Between 2024/25 and 2025/26, Italian exports carried by Emirates SkyCargo increased by more than 12%. At Kennedy and Newark airports, exports handled by the carrier rose by 23%. The main commodities shipped from the New York area include pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, perishables, e-commerce consignments, machinery and industrial components. In 2026, Emirates SkyCargo also launched freighter services to Los Angeles and Dallas and increased frequencies to Miami.
According to the half-year results released by the Emirates Group on 5 November 2026, the cargo division transported 1.2 million tonnes between April and September, down 1% compared with the same period in 2025, while cargo revenue increased by 52%. The group attributes the decline in volumes to reduced air cargo capacity resulting from the conflict in the Middle East. During 2026, the carrier took delivery of eight additional freighter aircraft, seven newly built Boeing 777Fs and one converted 777-300ER, while its freighter network expanded from more than 40 destinations in March 2026 to over 60 in July 2026. On 10 September 2026, it introduced weekly freighter flights to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, bringing its total number of weekly freighter services to India to seven.
