Extra EK777 Freighter flying

[oz in dxb]

Emirates SkyCargo W12 Operation Changes
by JL

Update at 0600GMT 30OCT12

Emirates SkyCargo is Winter 2012/13 is introducing several new services, including all-Freighter service to Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Hanoi.

Overall service as follows:

NEW Routes
Dubai – Kolkata – Dhaka – Dubai eff 05DEC12
*NEW 1 weekly service
*Overall service to Dhaka is 2 weekly

EK9830 DXB0700 – 1315CCU 77F 3
EK9831 CCU1515 – 1645DAC1845 – 2210DXB 77F 3

Dubai – Thiruvananthapuram – Hong Kong – Dubai eff 06DEC12 1 weekly service
EK9838 DXB1155 – 1725TRV1855 – 0325+1HKG 74Y 4
EK9883 HKG0625 – 1045DXB 74Y 5

Dubai – Taipei – Hanoi – Dubai eff 05DEC12
*NEW 2 weekly service to Hanoi
*Overall service to Taipei increases from 1 to 3 weekly, while service operates with 777F, instead of Atlas Air 747-400F

EK9893 DXB2105 – 0915+1TPE 77F 6
EK9894 TPE1135 – 1305HAN1505 – 1920DXB 77F 7

EK9895 DXB1425 – 0235+1TPE 77F 3
EK9896 TPE0425 – 0555HAN0755 – 1210DXB 77F 4

Overall services in addition new flights above:
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Almaty – Hong Kong – Dubai
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Chennai vv
1 weekly 74F Dubai – Dhaka vv (2 weekly 77F and 1 weekly 74Y in Nov 2012)
3 weekly 77F Dubai – Erbil vv
7 weekly 77F Dubai – Hong Kong vv (Plus 3 weekly 74Y)
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Kabul – Hong Kong – Dubai
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Kozhikode – Hong Kong – Dubai
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Mumbai vv
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Osaka Kansai – Seoul Incheon – Dubai
3 weekly 77F Dubai – Shanghai Pu Dong vv
4 weekly 77F Dubai – Singapore – Sydney – Hong Kong – Dubai (Service increases from 2 to 4 weekly)
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Taipei vv (74Y in Nov 2012)
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Tehran vv

3 weekly 74Y Dubai – Amsterdam – Gothenburg – Dubai
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Cairo – Amsterdam – Dubai
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Dusseldorf – Frankfurt – Dubai
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Eldoret – Entebbe – Dubai (05NOV12 – 03DEC12 only)
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Eldoret – Nairobi – Amsterdam – Dubai (77F in Nov 2012)
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Harare – Johannesburg – Dubai
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Johannesburg vv
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Lagos – Accra – Frankfurt – Dubai
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Lilongwe – Entebbe – Nairobi – Amsterdam – Dubai
1 weekly 77F Dubai – London Heathrow vv
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Lusaka – Johannesburg – Dubai
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Moscow Domodedovo – Frankfurt – Dubai
1 weekly 77F Dubai – Tripoli – Frankfurt – Dubai
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Zaragoza vv
1 weekly 74Y Dubai – Zaragoza – Bahrain – Dubai

3 weekly 77F Dubai – Frankfurt – Dakar – Sao Paulo Viracopos vv

Operational routing is subject to change, pending on demand.

74Y 747-400 Freighter
77F 777 Freighter

[falconeasydriver]

Yaaaaaaay more 9L batteries contained in equipment :E

[Bypass ratio]

The Boeing fleet is still the best fleet to be on in EK.....:ok:

[Iver]

That is some great route variety. A few questions for those who fly the freighter routes:

- Can you get trips mixed with both pax and freight flying on the same trip (i.e., fly pax out and freight home)?

- Do pilots on the freighter flights get good catering and get to stay in the same hotels as on the non-freight flights?

- Any personal preference of one type of flying vs. the other? Some pilots would prefer to have no pax/FA interaction.

- There used to be talk that EK would bring he freight flying in-house on the 747 side (i.e., order 7478Fs) instead of outsourcing to Atlas and TNT. What are the odds that would ever happen? EK has already successfully flown its own 777Fs, why not add 747-8Fs?

[Bypass ratio]

I never liked you A380-800Driver. But I do now. I was a little scared on Halloween though....!:)

[HamFan]

The catering is the same or sometimes better. Same hotels as the pax crew although for some reason the treatment by the hotel staff and the hotel perks seem to be better in some places.

As for pax and FAs, no one seems to miss them. No pax, no crew, no security door, no access horn honking every 20min, no hassles. You're off the airplane in minutes and heading to the bar. No one reporting you for not wearing your hat. All good.

On the other hand, no crew means the "trimmings" are harder to come by but I guess that's what the deadhead sectors are for, for those so inclined.

Speaking of which, lots of deadheading which means being paid to do nothing but catch up on sleep - which every EK pilot needs these days.

According to the internet, DAE still has ten B747-8Fs on order (the ones EK originally ordered, it appears) and they show up as a "lease-back deal" to EK. Since they are apparently supplying some of the B777Fs, maybe the 748 deal might still be on although the word is it was cancelled. If they do turn up in the fleet, the 747-8F would easily become the new primo fleet for the discerning EK driver.

All in all, the cargo flying s***s all over the rest of the job but that's just MHO, of course.

[Bypass ratio]

Iver:
No mixed Freighter/ Pax Pairings. i.e. If you fly a cargo leg, you'll either finish the pairing as cargo or pax home. They are treated individually. You can though, have a mix of cargo & pax pairings in any bid month. Does that make sense?
We seem to be doing more & more cargo flying each month so I can see us slowly taking over the Atlas routes. Foodwise, we get access only to crew meals & dry stores which is plentiful. On pax ops you get access to F/J class meals as well.... I prefer cargo but some prefer pax. I like the fact you can pull onto the bay, shutdown & F@&k Off within 5 minutes. With pax your hanging around for at least 35 mins sometimes more then you've got up to 20 crew going through customs/immigration/baggage. Hotels are the same as pax fleet.

[fatbus]

BP, I've flown the Boeing and it was OK but give me the 380 any day.

[clear to land]

There is a lot to be said for being off the aircraft and through immigration within 30 minutes of shutdown-even when parking on the other side of the airport. It is like working for a different company.:)
Good to see Ex -380 developing a sense of humour ;)

[scandistralian]

Airside processing in SYD, generally some good 24-48 hour layovers, sling rotations, no cockpit door, well catered and sans the 30 minute after landing wait for the cabin crew and punters to get off etc. etc. give me the freighter any day!

[falconeasydriver]

For me it's the best 777 flying at EK, lots of fun when you do an empty leg.
Yes we fly a few more scheduled freight trips, but the ad-hoc ones are the most enjoyable, it sorts the aviators out from the OMA experts:E and you get to lobb into new and unfamiliar places with minimal support, reminds me of my charter days:ok:
I try to bid for 1 freighter a month :ok:

[Bypass ratio]

Fatbus, the Boeing fleet at EK still has the best mix of flying of any airline in the world. I'm sure the 380 is nice to fly. For me, it's good for staff travel and that's it. We get paid the same amount, so give me the Boeing lifestyle anyday.

[nakbin330]

Good luck to all the ex-EVA pilots who jumped 'bale' and joined EK. EVA will be awaiting your first trip back ...

[etops777]

It will be available on the swap shop to swap their freighter flight to TPE (ex EVA whom jumped the bond)...

The warden is definitely waiting :ok:

[Mrs Mangels]

Waiting for us to ask us to come back.

:ugh::ugh::ugh:

[SU-GCM]

EK 777 in TNT Colors Was serving CAI last night

[Wizofoz]

EK 777 in TNT Colors Was serving CAI last night

What makes you think it was an EK aircraft?

[SU-GCM]

@Wizofoz
Callsign UAE9973 Is enough proof for you ?!

[Mr Good Cat]

Just a sub-lease to cover TNTs 747 EK SkyCargo ops. We have one TNT machine leased plus two Atlas, which will eventually be replaced by all of EKs own LRFs.

[Wizofoz]

@Wizofoz
Callsign UAE9973 Is enough proof for you ?!

Nope- An A6-EF* rego would be- as Mr Good Cat explained, it was a sub. There aren't any EK 777Fs in DHL colours.