Emirates has signed an agreement with Dubai Chambers giving Dubai-based small businesses access to its cargo network and travel rewards, the airline said on September 28.
The deal ties the airline’s freight arm to the emirate’s small business base as Dubai pursues its D33 economic agenda, which aims to double the size of its economy by 2033. Competition for that freight is growing at home, with sister carrier flydubai launching dedicated freighter operations from Dubai World Central.
The memorandum of understanding was signed at Seamless Middle East 2026, held at Dubai World Trade Centre on September 22-24, by Adnan Kazim, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Khalid AlJarwan, Executive Vice President of Commercial and Corporate Services at Dubai Chambers.
Members of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, one of three chambers under the Dubai Chambers umbrella, will gain access to logistics services from Emirates SkyCargo, the airline’s freight division, which serves more than 150 destinations across six continents. They will also be able to use Emirates Courier Express, SkyCargo’s door-to-door international shipping product.
Chamber members joining Emirates Business Rewards, the airline’s loyalty programme for small and medium-sized companies, for the first time will receive a 2,000-point welcome bonus. The two sides will also run joint events and promotions, with further benefits to be added over time.
“Emirates SkyCargo has democratised access to world class logistics and cargo capacity through Emirates Courier Express, giving SMEs the same global reach and connectivity available to larger organisations,” Kazim said.
AlJarwan said the partnership “supports the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) by enhancing the competitiveness of the private sector and contributing to the growth of Dubai’s foreign trade.”
SkyCargo and Dubai Chambers will also develop workshops, knowledge-sharing platforms and cargo advisory programmes for Dubai-based startups.
Dubai Chambers is a non-profit public entity formed in 2021, when the Dubai Chamber of Commerce was restructured into three chambers: Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Dubai International Chamber and Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. Emirates SkyCargo flies from its Dubai hub on dedicated Boeing 777 freighters and in the holds of the airline’s all-widebody passenger fleet of Boeing 777, Airbus A380 and Airbus A350 aircraft.