Shortly after Nabil Sultan emerged on the world stage as Emirates’ “newly appointed Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo July 1, 2013,” he headed to the United States to meet staff and customers. We met up with him at SkyCargo John F. Kennedy International Airport before that fateful exercise got underway.
      Thinking back on that time, we recall that the only top air cargo executives we had ever known at Emirates SkyCargo were Ram Menen and Peter Sedgley, so prior to meeting Nabil we didn’t know quite what to expect.
      At the time, the presser from EK stated that Nabil was an Emirati educated in the U.S., so our spirits and expectations were raised about the opportunity to work with a native UAE person in commercial aviation.
      It became clear very quickly as we spoke with him that he was a man of considerably more grit and substance than that of a token appointee or someone who was just in the right place at the right time.
      While reserved, quiet, and even studious, Nabil is also quite the cool customer.
      Smart, refined, and always listening more than speaking, Nabil does not appear to be the least bit intimidated inhabiting the top spot of the biggest emerging international airline in the world.
      No doubt Ram Menen, who emerged as a darling and icon of the air cargo industry, was a tough act to follow.
      But by charting his own course and believing in himself and his team, Nabil has emerged as a force indistinguishable from SkyCargo itself, as the Dubai air cargo juggernaut continues its torrid growth in international air commerce.
      Directing focus on the product rather than the man might turn out to be the smartest thing Nabil Sultan could have done.
      But you don’t have to talk to him very long before Nabil Sultan is telling you through his actions to “watch what I do.”
      Nabil has remained tasked towards keeping priorities straight, including the well-publicized movement of the entire 14-freighter fleet to the new Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport.
      We spoke to Nabil Sultan inside the big, multi-storied Emirates stand at Munich last week. As the clock ticks steadily toward his second year in the driver’s seat at SkyCargo, it is clear he is feeling quite comfortable these days, delivering seamless operations whilst operating between two airports at hub Dubai operations. He now seems comfortable expanding his interest and involvement elsewhere.
      “Things are going well, markets have been better in 2015,” Nabil emphasized.
      “DWC has been a blessing for us as we have managed to move some of the capacity out of congested DXB.
      “As cargo continues growing, we have been able to stabilize our freighter operations at DWC.
      “Things look good from an operations point of view and we are quite pleased,” Nabil said. “Much of our effort during my first years here has been to both expand and refine our Dubai hub.
      “At both facilities today, Emirates SkyCargo has the right processes and people in place.
      “We were able to greatly strengthen our team with the addition of Henrik Ambak to the position of senior vice president, Cargo Operations Worldwide; he joined us from Cargolux late last year,” Nabil said.
      Ambak was a huge “get” for SkyCargo for his expertise and well earned reputation at Cargolux directing cargo and ground handling, trucking, standards and procedures, network delivery, ground safety, ULD management, Customs and e-Business, as well as IT systems used by the commercial division.
      Henrik stepped in less than half a year ago and is responsible for all Emirates SkyCargo’s hub operations at Dubai International Airport and Emirates SkyCentral at Dubai World Central, as well as the operations at more than 140 outstations across the world.
      “Henrik is a great addition to our team,” Nabil said.
      “Emirates continue to expand both our passenger and freighter operations,” he added.
      “We have one more freighter (B777) aircraft coming in August of this year.
      “SkyCargo begins a weekly freighter service May 27 into Columbus, Ohio, our 48th destination in the worldwide freighter network and sixth in USA.
      “We think Columbus serves as an ideal alternative point to Chicago where shipments originating or destined to the mid-west can be trucked much more efficiently,” Nabil added.
      Nabil Sultan says that very little has surprised him in his experience in air cargo to date.
      “There are many areas that need to be addressed, including processes, information, and innovation, but the ongoing question is always how do you effectively innovate and get to where you want to be without any dramatic shifts in quality and service?
      “There are technologies—including mobile booking, for example—that will make the air cargo business even more competitive and effective.
      “Air cargo has got to be easier to do business with.
      “The world has moved, and we are doing business at a time when others in IT and elsewhere are looking into what we do and may challenge us.
      “Business wants innovation in every aspect of the experience so air cargo must lead or will be forced off the side of the road to tomorrow.”
Geoffrey