Emirates SkyCargo has announced that, from May 27 2015, it will begin flying to Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, the state capital of Ohio in the U.S.

The flight, which will be operated by a Boeing 777 Freighter, is expected to carry products such as high fashion, pharmaceuticals, automotive spares, electronics and machinery into and out of the Columbus area.

“Our freighters play a major role in our network strategy, and with the addition of Columbus to our freighter schedule, we will be able to connect businesses in the U.S. mid-west and the rest of our global network through our Dubai hub, thereby improving freight connectivity and creating new opportunities for American companies to reach new markets,” said Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice president of cargo at Emirates. “Columbus also serves as an ideal alternative point to Chicago where shipments originating or destined to the mid-west can be trucked much more efficiently.”

Columbus is particularly significant in the clothing and fashion industries. According to a survey conducted by an analytics company in Texas, the city had the third highest concentration of fashion designers in the United States after New York and Los Angeles. The central distribution centres for brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap and Victoria’s Secret are also located in Columbus, which is the 15^th largest city in the U.S.

Columbus will be SkyCargo’s sixth freighter destination in the U.S. and 48^th overall. The flight will leave Dubai on Wednesdays, making a stop in Copenhagen. It then returns to Dubai via Chicago and Copenhagen.

Timings are shown below.