Dubai-based flydubai on Monday announced the addition of three destinations to its Russian network, bringing its total to 10 in the country.
This autumn, the airline will launch flights to Makhachkala and Voronezh and resume services to Ufa.
Makhachkala is major city in the South of Russia, and capital of Dagestan Republic. Voronezh is a major city in western Russia with a population of over 1 million and rich history. Ufa was among flydubai’s first destinations in Russia, initially launched in 2011. It is the largest oil refining centre in the Volga and the Urals, as well as a major transport hub, scientific, cultural and religious centre.
Flights from Dubai to Makhachkala and Voronezh will operate twice a week, starting October 31 and 29 October, respectively. Services to Ufa will relaunch on October 31 with three flights a week. flydubai will be the only UAE-based carrier offering direct air links on these routes.
“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," said Ghaith Al Ghaith, the chief executive of flydubai. "Russian passengers recognise the benefits of direct air links and together with our product offering have helped us to successfully grow our service across the country. Today, we are pleased to further expand our footprint as we see a growing demand for travel from Russia to Dubai.”
Along with the new additions, flydubai’s network in Russia includes Kazan, Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Yekaterinburg.
Travel between Russia and Dubai has been recently benefited from changes in visa requirements enabling Russian passengers to automatically receive a free 30-day Visa on Arrival in the UAE. This regulation prompted a 140 per cent growth in travel numbers from Russia to Dubai within the first month since its introduction in February 2017, according to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
“Flydubai’s direct flights will give passengers from Voronezh, Makhachkala and Ufa convenience of a non-stop short journey to Dubai," said Jeyhun Efendi, the senior vice president commercial (UAE, EU, ME, CIS) for flydubai. "Passengers can also benefit from not having to make arrangements for a visa beforehand. We are focused on meeting the travel needs of our passengers. We offer affordable travel options in both Business and Economy Classes, an enjoyable on board experience as well as an opportunity to connect to more than 200 destinations from Dubai’s efficient aviation hub.”
Flydubai operates flights to over 90 destinations in 44 countries, including popular routes among Russian travellers, such as Dubai, Male (Maldives), Colombo and Kathmandu. Passengers also benefit from flydubai's interline agreements with other carriers, providing opportunities for onward travel to more than 200 destinations.
