Emirates-flydubai network to connect 168 destinations by end of May

The combined network of Emirates airlines and flydubai is on track to reach 168 destinations by the end of May, offering choice and seamless connectivity for travelers.

The two Dubai carriers have already flown close to 500,000 passengers since the revival of their strategic codeshare partnership in early September 2020.

From 21 May, Emirates' customers will enjoy an even better experience with improved schedules, and connections to 22 flydubai destinations from Terminal 3. Destinations include Basra, Belgrade, Bucharest, Kyiv, Odesa, Prague, Salalah, Sofia, Zanzibar, amongst others.

The combined network offers the advantage of optimised schedules, connections and baggage transfers through Dubai, all on a single ticket. Top destinations booked through the codeshare include Kabul, Kathmandu, Kyiv, the Maldives and Zanzibar.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of flydubai, said the partnership continues to grow steadily to offer travellers even better connectivity to Dubai, and through Dubai to an extensive global network.

"We are seeing strong customer take-up and are excited to take the partnership to the next level by expanding services to new destinations,” said Sheikh Ahmed.

The close collaboration between Emirates and flydubai also benefits Dubai as a business, leisure, and aviation hub with enhanced connectivity and travel flows from the combined network of both carriers as it continues to safely welcome visitors from around the world. “We're confident that both airlines will rebuild their networks even better, as they chart the path to recovery," he said.

In a joint statement, the carriers said Emirates customers can travel on codeshare flights to over 56 flydubai destinations, while flydubai customers can choose from over 82 Emirates destinations. Customers can also take advantage of an enhanced schedule spread across 30 destinations served by both airlines.

Customers connecting via Dubai to their final destination can look forward to a smooth transfer experience with reduced connection times between Emirates' Terminal 3 and flydubai's operations in Terminal 2.

Budget carrier flydubai recently announced the resumption of flights into 12 destinations in Russia, five cities in Iran, as well as flights to seasonal destinations in Georgia, Turkey and Montenegro, with more destinations expected to be announced in the coming months as countries open their borders for business and tourism.

“Both airlines continue to layer on a greater range of flight schedules with 16 additional countries opening up for international tourism with quarantine-free entry, including Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Djibouti, Finland, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Serbia, Tanzania, Ukraine and Uzbekistan,” said the statement.

Both airlines have implemented extensive biosafety measures throughout the travel journey. This includes enhanced sanitisation, state-of-the-art HEPA filters onboard, amongst a number of other protocols. A large portion of crew and pilots across both airlines have also been fully vaccinated.

—issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com