Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, is set to increase its cargo capacity to Iran, when Emirates begins its five daily non-stop A330-200 passenger flights to Mashhad, Iran from1 September 2015. Mashhad will become Emirates’ second Iranian destination after the capital city Tehran, which Emirates has been serving since March 1990. Last year, Emirates carried more than half a million passengers and transported over 17,500 tonnes of cargo to and from Iran.

“Iran is an important market for Emirates SkyCargo and with our Dubai hub strategically located between East and West, we are able to offer Iranian manufacturers access to our global network coupled with a range of innovative products and services, such as our cool chain off ering for time and temperature sensitive commodities,” said Khalid Mohd Al Hinai, VP cargo commercial for the Middle East, GCC and Iran. “We anticipate that trade between the UAE and Iran to further flourish as a result of the launch of this new direct five times weekly service.”

With the new service to Mashhad, Emirates SkyCargo will provide more than 150 tonnes of belly-hold capacity between Iran and the UAE each week; further supporting Iran exports of fruits, vegetables, carpets, saff ron, nuts, and personal eff ects, and its imports of meat, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, machinery and automobiles parts.

Th e top markets to which Emirates SkyCargo carries Iranian’s exports include Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Bahrain, Osaka, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney, and Los Angeles, while main import markets include the UAE, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Mumbai, Frankfurt and Basel.