Emirates has started flying to Bologna, its fourth destination in Italy.

The inaugural flight departed Dubai this morning and arrived in Bologna at around noon local time.

“Bologna is an economic hub in Italy and for the entire European continent,” said Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice president of cargo at Emirates. “But because of a lack of wide-bodied aircraft service to the region, many businesses must truck their goods over long distances to reach the closest major airport. With the introduction of Emirates SkyCargo service to Bologna using the Boeing 777-300ER, businesses in the region will have more efficient channels to reach their customers in cities around the world.”

Emirates says that one of the top exports from Bologna will be luxury Italian sports cars, since manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Pagani are all located in the region. Other exports will include cosmetics, textiles and clothing, ceramics, tiles, marbles and jewellery, while imports are expected to include manufacturing parts, pharmaceuticals, leather garments and perishables.

The daily 777-300ER flight offers a capacity of 23 tonnes in each direction, and will connect Bologna with major export destinations such as the UAE, Japan, China, India and Australia.

Emirates SkyCargo, which operates a freighter fleet of two 747-400ER Freighters and 13 777 Freighters, now flies to 38 European destinations with a combination of main-deck and belly capacity.