UPS has launched a non-stop flight from its Worldport hub in Louisville to Dubai.

According to UPS, the new flight is currently operated once a week by a Boeing 747-8F, which can carry approximately 30,000 packages. The flight will become daily on February 27, 2018.

The new flight improves transit time from North and South America to key destinations in the Middle East by a full business day.

“The UAE trades with all 50 US states and has grown to become the US’s largest export destination in the Middle East,” said Jim Barber, president of UPS International. “Dubai’s importance as a global trade hub increases every day – and we’re now getting there a day faster from North and South America with our small package express carrier and cargo offerings. Growth potential is great for companies accessing the UAE and other rapidly developing industrial and commercial sectors in the region. Our new flight is another example of how UPS’s smart global logistics network, which carries 3% of the world’s GDP every day, constantly evolves to service increasing international trade demands.”

The route is approximately 7,700 miles (12,400 km) long and is the longest regularly scheduled flight UPS has ever operated. New packages and freight are loaded in Dubai before the aircraft departs for the UPS facility in Shenzhen, the company’s largest in Asia, then back to Worldport via Anchorage.

The new flight is part of UPS’s intention to enlarge its presence in Dubai, the headquarters of UPS’s Indian Subcontinent Middle East & Africa (ISMEA) division. UPS has been operating in the region since 1989.

“Our customers are demanding more capacity, and we’re providing it with this non-stop connection to Dubai,” said Brendan Canavan, president of UPS Airlines. “UPS has made a strategic investment in 747-8 jumbo jets, the largest aircraft we have ever flown, to offer sustainable lift on long-range international routes like this.”

With the addition of the new flight, the volume capacity on the current flight from Cologne to Dubai also increases, according to UPS.