Dubai's Emirates Airlines, has been appointed a Global Partner of Formula One, the agreement, thought to be worth £125m, to last five years.

The announcement was made today by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, of the Emirates Airline & Group and Bernie Ecclestone, Chief Executive Officer of the Formula One group.

Emirates will have a strong branding presence at 15 races on the 2013 calendar across Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America. Starting in Malaysia, the distinctive Fly Emirates branding will be seen at circuits such as Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos.

"This is an exciting global opportunity to align two world leading brands," said Sheikh Ahmed. "The ambition, cutting-edge technological standards and worldwide reach of Formula One go hand in hand with Emirates' vision and ambition.

"For many years, Emirates has been at the forefront of sports partnerships across the world. With the addition of this global partnership with the Formula One group we are continuing to expand our sponsorship portfolio, which I'm sure will be appreciated by sports fans. Today's Formula One partnership follows on from our recent sporting announcements such as re-signing a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Arsenal Football Club, being a sponsorship partner of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and becoming the Official Airline of the ATP World Tour tournament."

As part of the Formula 1 Global Partner agreement, branding will be displayed on circuit bridges and associated ground signs and Emirates will make full use of the Formula One Paddock Club.

"Emirates has a first class international reputation and I'm very pleased to welcome such a prestigious company as a global partner of Formula One," said Ecclestone. "Watching Formula One races live in flight will be something special for Emirates customers and Emirates branding at this many races on the calendar will lend strong support to their ambitious expansion plans. With considerable overlap between their priority markets and our own I look forward to many successful years working on this important partnership together."