Dubai: Supermodels are not the only movers and shakers in the world of haute couture, with dedicated followers of fashion relying on more than just the likes of Spanish catwalk queens Esther Canadas and Eugenia Silva to stay in tune with the latest trends.

Emirates also plays a key role by bringing cutting-edge designs to high streets and malls across the Middle East and Asia in time for every new season.

The carrier's freight division, Emirates SkyCargo, brings thousands of tonnes of clothing into the region each year and is an integral link between the UAE and Spain, a hub of fashion manufacturing, exporting a host of leading brands such as Mango, Zara, Manolo Blahnik, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear and Pepe Jeans.

On August 1, Emirates will launch the only scheduled passenger service between Dubai and Spain with its inaugural flight to Madrid, building on the successful freight service it has been operating since 2006.

Every month more than 600 tonnes arrive from Zaragoza on two weekly Boeing 747 freighter flights, meaning Emirates SkyCargo has been delivering an average of 7,200 tonnes of garments to Dubai every year since launching flights into Spain.

Major player

Ram Menen, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice-President for Cargo, said: "Emirates is a major player on both airport and fashion runways. Dubai has built a strong reputation as the shopping capital of the region and we are delighted to have contributed to that success by ensuring the latest styles are always available.

"However, our role is not confined to just bringing all the top labels to the UAE. We also transport a similar volume of textiles from the Far East to the Spanish clothing manufacturers every week.

"The freight operation to Spain is also an important route for various consumer goods, such as furniture and electrical products, and perishables like fish, while Dubai-bound commodities also include manufactured goods and spare parts for the car industry.

"These trade links provided the platform for Emirates to launch the passenger service to Madrid, further strengthening our ties with Spain."

The UAE has been listed as a priority fashion market by the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), and the list of Spanish brands found in Dubai's shopping malls is extensive.

Numerous other major Spanish labels including Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, 13 Búho Street, Pablosky and Camper, Loewe, Carrera y Carrera, Cortefiel, Pedro del Hierro, Tuc Tuc and Women's Secret, also export to the UAE through Emirates, and in 2008 the goods had a combined value of Dh428 million.

The daily non-stop passenger service will make the Spanish capital Emirates' 25th destination in Europe and is one of six new routes to be announced this year.

Etihad: Busy summer predicted

Etihad Airways is advising passengers to book their summer flights as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as the peak summer period approaches. The airline has seen a significant increase in bookings to several of its key destinations as customers from the Middle East book their summer travel. Etihad Airways now offers flights to 63 global destinations across an expanded network that includes the recently-launched Japanese destinations Tokyo and Nagoya, and Baghdad and Arbil in Iraq. In addition, Etihad has increased frequencies to Dublin, Manila, Kathmandu and Beirut.

Etihad will operate 1,032 flights a week this summer, a 16 per cent rise on the 888 weekly flights that operated during the same season in 2009.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said: "We expect to see extremely high demand during our summer period, especially as residents across the Middle East region travel to cooler climates in Europe. We encourage our passengers to book as quickly as possible to ensure their preferred destinations and travel periods are available."

Flights to key Etihad cities which are selling fast include Cairo, Beirut, Amman, New York, Toronto, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Geneva, London and Munich.

Etihad also operates services to popular leisure destinations including Athens, Larnaca, Paris and Istanbul, and through Etihad Holidays' World Deals programme, is offering a range of high quality holiday packages to these destinations during summer.

Etihad also strengthened its North American network last year with the launch of flights to Chicago's O'Hare airport, which became a daily non-stop operation on January 1.