Emirates adds flights to second Iranian city

AUG 24, 2015: Emirates SkyCargo will increase its airfreight capacity to Iran next month, when the Dubai-based carrier’s passenger arm begins a five times a week non-stop A330-200 flight to Mashhad from September 1.

Mashhad, in north east Iran, will become Emirates’ second Iranian destination after the capital city Tehran, which Emirates has been serving since March 1990. Last year, Emirates transported over 17,500 tons of cargo to and from Iran.

Khalid Mohd Al Hinai, vice president cargo commercial for the Middle East, GCC and Iran, said, “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 offering for time and temperature sensitive commodities.

“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, saffron, nuts, and personal effects, and its imports of meat, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, machinery and automobiles parts.

The 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.