Flydubai introduces flights to Corfu, Sardinia, Milan, Krabi and Pattaya


Hayley Skirka
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After weathering the storm of the global pandemic, flydubai is increasing its network to its biggest capacity yet. The low-cost airline has announced it will introduce flights from Dubai to several new cities in 2023.

Among the five new destinations are Milan, the second-largest city in Italy and Cagliari — the capital of Sardinia. Travellers will also soon be able to fly with the budget airline direct to the Greek island of Corfu.

Milan flights are scheduled to start in March, with fares from Dh2,000, while flights to Sardinia and Corfu will commence in June, just in time for the summer season. Return airfares start from Dh2,600.

Pattaya in Thailand is one of five new destinations being introduced to Flydubai's network. Photo: Flydubai
Pattaya in Thailand is one of five new destinations being introduced to Flydubai's network. Photo: Flydubai

Popular Thai holiday hotspots Krabi and Pattaya are also new additions to the flydubai network. The former offers stunning beaches set against limestone cliffs while the latter is known for its lively atmosphere. Daily flights to both destinations in Thailand will launch on January 20, and economy fares start from Dh3,800 and Dh3,600 respectively.

The extension of the network means that flydubai will be operating to 113 places around the world, the most destinations that the airline has flown to.

“I am very proud to see our network grow bigger than ever. Dubai’s aviation industry has made a swift recovery, and our agility combined with our strong business model has enabled us to grow our operations and to achieve this significant milestone,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive at flydubai.

“With 113 destinations now available to book, we look forward to offering our passengers more options for travel across our ever-growing network.”

Flydubai is also resuming flights to Saudi Arabia’s Hofuf, with services taking off later this month and fares starting from Dh1,400.

The city in Al-Ahsa Oasis in the eastern region of the kingdom is filled with historical landmarks and is a good destination for those keen to visit the largest palm oasis in the world. Flights will restart on November 24, with two services per week.

Emirates will codeshare on the airline’s new routes, offering passengers more options for connections through Dubai International Airport. Resumed flights to Saudi Arabia will depart from Terminal 2, while all flights to the airline's new destinations will leave from Emirates' Terminal 3.

Flydubai is the first UAE airline to operate to Gan International Airport in the Maldives. Photo: Gan International Airport / Facebook
Flydubai is the first UAE airline to operate to Gan International Airport in the Maldives. Photo: Gan International Airport / Facebook

Flydubai recently became the first UAE airline to launch flights to Maldives’ Gan International Airport, ideal for holidaymakers flying to the southern atolls in the Indian Ocean holiday hotspot.

Last week, the airline confirmed it was recovering strongly from the coronavirus pandemic and expects 2022's financial results to be better than last year as it expands operations with more routes. In March, Flydubai announced a Dh841 million ($229m) profit in 2021, compared with a Dh712.6m loss in 2020, when the travel industry was hit hard by the pandemic.

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THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

The bio

Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMascotte%20Health%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMiami%2C%20US%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bora%20Hamamcioglu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOnline%20veterinary%20service%20provider%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.2%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

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3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)

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7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)

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14 Sergio Perez (Force India)

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16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)

17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)

18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)

19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)

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The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo

Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm

Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Price: from Dh498,542

On sale: now

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs

Engine: 5-litre V8

Gearbox: eight-speed automatic

Power: 420hp

Torque: 505Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km

Price: Dh260,500

About Tenderd

Started: May 2018

Founder: Arjun Mohan

Based: Dubai

Size: 23 employees 

Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital

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Updated: November 05, 2022, 7:13 AM`