Holmestrand, Norway, Nordisk Aviation Products, a subsidiary of AAR Corp. (NYSE: AIR), announced a new, three-year contract to supply nearly 6,000 Nordisk UltraLite® AKE (LD3) and Nordisk TwinLite AKE (LD3) containers to Emirates Airline.

According to AAR Corp. the agreement supports Emirates’ long-term commitment to improve fuel efficiency through lighterweight Unit Load Devices (ULDs) without comprising structural integrity.

Clive Clemson, Vice President, Emirates Airport Services said “Emirates has been committed to reducing the ULD tare weight of a number of years and we have been actively seeking suppliers who can help us to achieve our goal. At only 56 kg the Nordisk UltraLite AKE is by far the lightest alternative in the market today”,.

Emirates procured its first 700 UltraLite containers in 2004 with a tare weight, the weight of the container when empty, of 62 kgs. Since then, the airline has been testing different products from several vendors and has been steadily replacing its aluminum AKE fleet with the lower-tareweight composite panel containers.

Clive Clemson continued: “With the delivery of this new order, half of Emirates’ AKE fleet will be lightweight composite panel containers, which will play an important role in optimizing payload especially on our ultra long-range flights.
“Nordisk’s innovation has enabled Emirates to set ourselves apart in the industry through improved fuel efficiency and state-of-the-art ULD design.”

Peter Grau, Nordisk’s Vice President of Sales, Europe, Middle East and Africa added:“We have had the pleasure of supporting the Emirates team for many years, and appreciate the opportunity to take part in their fuel savings and reduced emissions.
“A critical component of Nordisk’s success has been significant investments in research, design and product engineering. We have led the industry in designing the most technologically advanced, lightweight ULDs that provide operators with high-strength, lower-weight alternatives to traditional ULD products”.

Source: AAR Corp.