Special handling from Dubai to Los Angeles

A dedicated Emirates SkyCargo team managed the satellite’s transport from end to end, including environmental and safety controls required for sensitive aerospace equipment.

The airline’s cargo division has previously transported satellites including Arab Satellite 813 from Dubai to its launch site near Shanghai and Khalifasat from Dubai to South Korea in 2018.

Khalifasat was the first satellite developed and built by UAE engineers.

Aerospace cargo volumes grow

Emirates SkyCargo said it has transported more than 6,000 tonnes of aerospace and advanced engineering cargo worldwide so far in 2026.

The carrier has also been expanding its freighter fleet. Since March, it has taken delivery of six Boeing 777-F production freighters and one Boeing 777-300ERSF converted from an Emirates passenger aircraft.

Another four Boeing 777-F freighters and one additional converted freighter are due later this year.

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series. Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question. When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.