…First passenger to freighter converted aircraft joins Emirates’ cargo fleet

Emirates has marked a significant milestone in the expansion of its cargo fleet by becoming the first airline cargo carrier* to deploy the Boeing 777-300ERSF passenger to freighter converted aircraft.

The aircraft (A6-EBK) will enter commercial service with a flight from Hong Kong to Dubai carrying over 100 tonnes of cargo.

The converted Emirates Boeing 777-300ERSF offers 100 tonnes of payload capacity and 811 m³ of cargo volume, representing a 25 percent increase in cargo volume over the Boeing 777-F production freighter.

At 47 pallet positions, the converted aircraft also accommodates 10 additional pallet positions when compared with Boeing 777-F production freighter, making it ideal for transporting volumetric cargo such as e-commerce goods which currently constitute around 20% of global air cargo tonnage with further growth projected in the next few years.

Badr Abbas, Emirates SkyCargo’s Divisional Senior Vice President said: “The induction of the first converted Emirates Boeing 777-300ERSF into operational service represents the next step in the expansion of our fleet and operational agility. We are optimising our fleet assets by converting older Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft to meet the growing demand for air cargo capacity to transport goods rapidly across the world.

“Combined with our growing fleet of Boeing 777-F production freighters, we have already been able to scale our global freighter network from just over 40 destinations in February this year to 62 destinations currently and growing. We are providing our global customers with scalable cargo capacity and ultimate flexibility and connectivity when moving cargo to and through our hub in Dubai.”

The converted Boeing 777-300ERSF is the sixth new freighter, following five Boeing 777-F production freighters, to join Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet since March 2026.

As part of its ambitious expansion strategy, Emirates SkyCargo will also be taking delivery of five additional Boeing 777-F aircraft as well as one additional converted Boeing 777-300ERSF by December 2026. Emirates SkyCargo will also be introducing three additional converted Boeing 777-ERSFs into its fleet in 2027.

Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet and network expansion reaffirm the carrier’s commitment to play a larger role in supporting global trade, linking new destinations with businesses, and deepening connectivity to key production hubs already on the carrier’s global network spanning six continents.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

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