Dubai: Emirates Airline will launch a new service to Mashhad, Iran, from September 1 this year, marking its second gateway into the country, according to a statement on Monday.

Emirates will operate five weekly services to Mashhad with an Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

Mashhad is the second largest city in Iran and attracts more than two million foreign visitors per year, according to the statement.

Last year, Emirates carried more than half a million passengers to and from Iran.