flydubai is once again expanding its route network as it announces the introduction of direct services between Dubai and three new destinations in Russia. It builds on the low-cost carrier’s plan to build its presence in otherwise underserved destinations. flydubai already flies to over 90 destinations in 44 countries – 63 of which didn’t previously have a direct connection with Dubai.
The airline will begin brand new services to Makhachkala and Voronezh while flights to Ufa will be resumed after a short hiatus. Once operations begin in late October, it will bring the total number of Russian destinations served by flydubai to ten.
The news comes as Dubai sees a surge in Russian tourists visiting the city. Since February, inbound visitors from Russia have increased by 140%. The massive growth was prompted by a change in UAE immigration rules, allowing Russians to automatically receive a free 30-day Visa on Arrival.
Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President Commercial for flydubai emphasised the importance of these routes, saying it would give passengers the “opportunity to connect to more than 200 destinations from Dubai’s efficient aviation hub.”
Last week, flydubai and Emirates Airline announced a major tie-up that will see the two airlines aligning schedules, increasing codeshare agreements and brining their operations closer together. flydubai will act as an important feeder into the wider Emirates route network.
Flights to Voronezh will commence on 29th October and operate twice weekly – Wednesday and Sunday.
Services to Makhachkala will start on 31st October and also operate twice weekly – Wednesday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, flights to Ufa will also start on 31st October with three weekly flights – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
All services will operate from Dubai International Airport, Terminal 2.
“Russia has been a key part of flydubai’s network since an early stage in our operations. We entered the market in 2010 and focused on markets that were previously underserved from Dubai,” commented Ghaith Al Ghaith, the chief executive of flydubai.
He continued: “Today, we are pleased to further expand our footprint as we see a growing demand for travel from Russia to Dubai.”
flydubai already operates flights to Kazan, Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Yekaterinburg in Russia.
