Emirates Airline will start its non-stop direct flights from Dubai and Madrid from August 1 to create the first air services between United Arab Emirates and the popular southern European country.

With this, Emirates Airlines will fill the gap in its European network and underlines growing trade and traffic between the both nations. It will be the fourth new route for Emirates in 2010, after Tokyo, Amsterdam and Prague.

While talking to media, the travel manager at Sharaf Travel in Dubai, Premjit Bangara (ck) said, “Traffic to and from Spain has been small in the past. But now the market is definitely growing slowly but steadily.”

Meanwhile, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman and chief executive of Emirates said, “If there is one route that we have been repeatedly asked about in recent years, it is Spain, so I believe we will make a lot of people very happy with this announcement.”

Spain is the world’s second biggest tourism place with 60 million tourists in 2007, until now only Qatar Airways has operated a direct flight from the Gulf starting in 2006.

UAE exports into Spain contain textiles, electronics, consumer goods and fish and Spain exports like finished garments, manufactured goods and spare parts for the car business.

According to the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Spain was the second export of haute couture shoes on account of brands like Manolo Blahnik.

Emirates will use an Airbus 330-200 on the route, with 12 first-class seats, 42 in business and 183 economy-class seats.