Emirates SkyCargo has started utilising their Airbus A380 aircraft on select cargo charter operations, to transport urgently required cargo across their network. The first dedicated Emirates A380 'mini-freighter' successfully transported medical supplies between Seoul and Amsterdam via Dubai.
The Emirates A380 has around 50 tonnes of cargo capacity per flight in the belly hold of the aircraft.
I have been seeing a few Emirates A380 recently activated from storage in Dubai Al Maktoum Int'l (DWC). They have been flown back to Dubai Int'l (DXB), where Emirates SkyCargo operates from. The A6-EOT has been to Bangkok, Copenhagen, Washington D.C. and Madrid since.
The A380 cargo operation is directly in response to the surge in the demand for air cargo capacity, required for the urgent transportation of critical goods; including medical supplies for combatting COVID-19, in regions experiencing a second wave of the pandemic.
Emirates SkyCargo operates dedicated cargo flights on their Boeing 777-F and their Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, including 14 modified Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft with the seats removed from Economy Class for additional cargo volume.
Since Emirates has been maxed out on their B777 in both passenger and cargo operations, they have now started using the A380 for some extra cargo flights. This has been good news for A380 operations and I predict the A380 will play a larger role in vaccine transportation in the near future.