Emirates will begin flying daily to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International Airport from December 15, 2015.

The flight will be operated with an Airbus A330-200, which will offer a cargo capacity of 24 tonnes. It will be the only daily widebody flight with bellyhold capacity to serve the airport, which is located on the Asian side of Turkey, about 60km east of Istanbul-Ataturk Airport.

“Our cargo customers are increasingly looking for ways to ship their goods across the world at a faster pace,” said Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice president of cargo at Emirates. “The introduction of service to Sabiha Gokcen not only provides an additional gateway for our customers in Turkey, but also provides quicker access to shipping lanes for businesses located in eastern Istanbul.”

According to Emirates, its freight division SkyCargo transports more than 5,300 tonnes of cargo in and out of Istanbul every year, with the most popular products being medicines, vaccines, carpets and textiles.

Details of the flight are as follows.