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flydubai doubles GCC network to four destinations

03 March 2010 14:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. APA-Economics. Dubaiâ€™s first low cost airline, has announced a brace of GCC routes to kick off what is set to be a very busy year of route announcements for the carrier.

Kuwait City and Muscat will bring flydubaiâ€™s network to thirteen routes and with a double daily service operating to both cities the flights are sure to be popular with both business and leisure travellers. Eager travellers wonâ€™t have long to wait as the flights to Muscat begin on Sunday, March 28th, and Kuwait on Tuesday, March 30th.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai said: â€œA strong GCC network is at the heart of flydubaiâ€™s strategy in this region so Kuwait and Oman were natural choices to be our next two destinations. Both are old friends of the UAE and we are deeply committed to strengthening our links further by providing the friendly low cost air service with the lowest prices that flydubai is becoming known for. We have worked closely with the authorities in both countries and we are very appreciative of the help and support they have given us. We look forward to continuing to work with them to provide a service that will be of benefit to all parties.â€

The new destinations share long trading and family histories with the UAE and are highly popular routes, but for different reasons. For Kuwait City, commerce has always been the major link to the UAE with tourism only growing strongly in recent times because of the countryâ€™s strong Islamic traditions. On the other hand Omanâ€™s wadis, pristine beaches and mountains have proven irresistible to tourists.

"Kuwait is growing in strength â€“ its businesses are thriving and its economy expanding. Infrastructure developments, urbanisation and a new port at Bubiyan Island are all signs of this â€“ and its location on the edge of the more populous northern regions of the wider Middle East will support its future,â€ Ghaith added.

â€œOman has a special relationship with the UAE as a place to seek relaxation, mountain scenery and unique wildlife. But it is also growing in importance from a business perspective with its position on the Indian Ocean making it an important trading and political nation,â€ he continued.

Kuwaitâ€™s tourism industry is in its infancy and flydubai is looking to provide support to its ever-increasing selection of luxury hotels and resorts. It is more that 80 years since Kuwait International Airport opened and with flydubaiâ€™s new service there will be 47 airlines serving the oil rich state.

For Oman flydubai is hoping to support the Sultanateâ€™s aim to host 12 million tourists by the year 2020; its scenery, culture and colonial history, including Muscatâ€™s famous walled city, forts and palaces have made it a magnet for tourists for many years.

FZ053 and FZ061 will leave Dubai at 0705hrs and 1915hrs respectively, arriving in Kuwait City at 0755hrs and 2005hrs local time respectively. The return flights, FZ054 and FZ062 leave at 0840hrs and 2050hrs and arrive at 1120hrs and 2330 local time.

FZ043 and FZ045 will leave Dubai at 0625hrs and 1625hrs respectively, arriving in Muscat at 0725hrs and 1725hrs local time respectively. The return flights, FZ044 and FZ046 leave at 0810hrs and 1810hrs and arrive at 0910hrs and 1910hrs local time

The airline’s existing eleven destinations are: Baku-Azerbaijan, Beirut-Lebanon, Amman-Jordan, Damascus and Aleppo-Syria, Alexandria-Egypt, Djibouti-Africa, Doha-Qatar, Khartoum-Sudan, Bahrain and Kathmandu-Nepal.

The flydubai model is simple, with customers paying only for the services they want to receive. The price includes all taxes and one piece of hand baggage, weighing up to 10 kg, per passenger.

Passengers have the option to purchase checked-in baggage in advance at just 11 USD for the first piece and 28 USD for the second, weighing up to 32 kg, subject to availability. Checked baggage at the airport is also strictly subject to availability and passengers are advised to book online early to secure the space, as only pre-purchased baggage can be guaranteed.

A nominal payment of 13 USD allows customers to select their seat and just AED 50 secures the extra legroom positions. Bookings can be changed for a small fee, plus any difference in the fare, and food and drink can be purchased on board.

flydubai operates from a modernised and enhanced Terminal 2 on the north side of Dubai International Airport.