Emirates SkyCargo's service to Birmingham, which started last December, is providing daily fast-track service to and from the heartland of the UK's business and industry.

Cargo, customers in the UK, the Middle East, Africa, the Subcontinent, the Pacific Rim and Australia will benefit from the connecting times at Dubai in both directions, Emirates SkyCargo said.

"Flights from points east will connect with the scheduled departure time from Dubai to Birmingham of 0750 hours while departures heading east," a company statement said.

"With aircraft-to-aircraft transfers in Dubai achieved in as little as 45 minutes when required, cargo customers will be able to maximise these advantages for the timely distribution of cargo to Emirates' destinations beyond Dubai."

Birmingham is also expected to be an important transshipment point for cargo between North America and the Middle East. The direct non-stop flights will be operated with Airbus A330-200s providing 17 tonnes of cargo capacity.

"This direct link between the UK's industrial heartland and Dubai will meet the freight transportation requirements of businesses at both destinations," said the general manager for cargo commercial operations Peter Sedgley.

Emirates operates three flights daily between Dubai and Heathrow and daily flights between Dubai and Gatwick and Manchester with Boeing 777-200/300s and Airbus A330-200s.

The new Birmingham services will bring the total daily flights to UK to six and the daily uplift into and out of the UK over 100 tonnes in each direction. Flight EK 039 will depart Dubai at 0750 hrs and arrive in Birmingham at 1145 hrs. The return flight, EK040 will depart Birmingham at 1315 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0015 hrs the following day, all times local.

At the time of the commencement of Emirates SkyCargo's new service to Brimingham, the city was already being served by the company with a trucking service to the airline's Manchester and London gateways.