flydubai announced a partnership with its passengers as the airline prepares to return to the skies following the lifting of the flight restrictions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said, “the effectiveness of the response to the pandemic led by the UAE Government has enabled the flight restrictions to be lifted. We appreciate that no effort has been spared as we see the precautionary measures eased.” Commenting on flydubai’s redesigned passenger journey, Al Ghaith said, “in these unprecedented times, we are very conscious of the role that we play as part of the global community in response to COVID-19. We have carefully reviewed the guidance and best practice published by a number of international organisations together with those of our regulator and our industry partners. We have further built on these which has resulted in a layering of measures by the authorities, the airport and flydubai. To realise the benefits of air travel is everyone’s responsibility. We recognise the importance of the role of the passenger in making these measures work. Together we have redefined a new way to travel which creates a partnership. It’s what we do together that will make this work.” Al Ghaith commented on the airline’s commitment to its passengers, “Our passengers have long enjoyed the benefits and convenience of air travel. As we move into this next phase, we recognise that it is our role to enable travel in a safe environment and the role of the passenger is to be prepared and ready to travel. Only by working together can the passenger make informed decisions to book their travel. They can be confident in knowing that …
Read More »flydubai resumes flight schedule and opens for sale
flydubai has announced that their flights are available for booking, initially to 24 destinations. More destinations and flight frequencies will continue to be added to the schedule over the summer. Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer of flydubai, said, “flights are available for booking from today and will operate from July 7. We are initially planning to operate to 24 destinations and we will continuously add destinations and flight frequencies to the network and we expect this to increase to 66 destinations over the course of the summer. This, of course, will be dependent on countries being able to open up and accept international travel.” Obaidalla added, “flydubai will be announcing details of its customer journey shortly which will outline what passengers can expect and what information they need to know the next time they need to book. Following the recent announcement we welcome a return to service in a safe and measured way. We have redesigned our passenger journey that is built upon existing high standards to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and we can now bring people together once again. This, along with the clear and simple guidelines set out by the authorities means it’s the perfect time to return to the skies.”
Read More »Dubai’s new air travel protocols to strengthen economy: HH Ahmed bin Saeed
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, and Chairman of flydubai said the decisions to issue new travel protocols for citizens, residents and tourists travelling through Dubai airports and welcome returning residents will strengthen the economy by boosting one of its major pillars, the tourism and travel sector; under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The impetus received by the new announcement will enable the national carriers to reinforce their leading position in the global travel industry, he said. H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed said, “The move comes at a time when the world is preparing to resume economic activities across sectors. Travel and tourism are among the key industries at the forefront of spurring global economic recovery. Our airports and national carriers are resuming larger scale operations by stringently implementing globally benchmarked precautionary and preventive measures that protect the health and safety of travellers.” His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum confirmed that Emirates Airlines and flydubai are geared to provide the highest quality of services for passengers following implementation of the new protocols. The new protocols enable citizens and residents to travel to destinations that have started to receive flights in accordance with protocols put in place by their governments. They also allow residents to travel back to Dubai in accordance with measures implemented to prevent spread of the virus. HH Sheikh Ahmed noted that both airline companies have developed a clear set of protocols to safeguard the health and safety of all passengers …
Read More »Cozmo Travel announce bookings for repatriation flights
Cozmo Travel started taking bookings from April 14, for the special repatriation flights which have been announced by the UAE government. The following airlines will be starting operations in a fixed schedule: Etihad Airways starts operations from April 14-22 – Seoul, Jakarta, Singapore, Manila, Melbourne, Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Brussels, Zurich, Tokyo, Dublin; Emirates start operations from April 12-20 – London, Frankfurt, Paris, Tunis and Manila; and FlyDubai from April 14 – Azerbaian, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Kyrgyztan, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine,Uzbekistan. The destinations and the airlines and more information will be available subject to conditions announced by other foreign governments as well.
Read More »flydubai suspends all flight operations from March 26 to April 9
flydubai will suspend its operations with effect from March 26, 2020 at 23:59 (UAE time) until April 9, 2020 at 23:59 (UAE Time) as part of the precautionary measures being implemented in response to COVID-19, following the announcement from the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The NCEMA contingency plan, benchmarking of industry best-practice and international guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHP) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA) provided the framework for flydubai’s own response plans to COVID-19. A number of working groups have been set up across the airline to support its operations for both its passengers and employees. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said, “Our operational focus may be changing in the short term but the work continues. We have reallocated internal resources to critical business needs, including the highest levels of customer support and care of our fleet, which has seen the activation of a large-scale maintenance and care programme to ensure that all our grounded aircraft are attended to at the highest international standards. We are seeing this period as an opportunity to recalibrate our business and our unrelenting focus is now on laying the groundwork, together, for a smooth full return to service in due course.” He added, “Since the beginning of March, we have received more than 80,000 customer enquiries. Our customer engagement team is working hard to respond to this unprecedented number of enquiries that we have received. They are supported by members of staff from different teams who have been deployed to ensure that all our customers receive a reply. My thoughts are particularly …
Read More »flydubai launches flight to Yangon, Myanmar
flydubai celebrated its inaugural flight to Yangon in Myanmar, expanding its network to include Southeast Asia. The new daily flights are codeshared with Emirates and will operate from Terminal 3 at Dubai International (DXB). On board the inaugural flight was a delegation led by Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Subcontinent and Africa) at flydubai. On arrival in Yangon, the delegation was met by His Excellency U Phyo Min Thein, Chief Minister of Yangon Region, Her Excellency Daw Nilar Kyaw, Minister of Electricity, Industry, Roads and Transport along with U Htun Myint Naing, Chairman of Asia World Group of Companies and Mr. Jose Angeja, COO of Yangon Aerodrome Company Limited. Speaking at the inaugural event Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Subcontinent and Africa) at flydubai, said, “We are delighted to start our new daily service to Yangon, as we see flydubai’s network expand further East. We are confident that the new service will not only support the trade links between the UAE and Myanmar but also become a popular route for passengers travelling from the UAE and the GCC and for those connecting to Europe and the USA with Emirates.” During his opening remarks at the event, His Excellency U Phyo Min Thein said, “Yangon International Airport plays an essential role in the tourism development of Myanmar. The airport is a gateway to international travel. We want to extend a warm welcome to flydubai’s inaugural flight today and give thanks to developing our tourism sector, and recognising Dubai as an international transit hub.”
Read More »First non-stop flight by flydubai from Dubai to Sochi
As a consequence of the growing interest in Sochi as a travel destination, the Dubai-based airline flydubai has inaugurated its new flight from Dubai to Sochi on June 7, 2019. Earlier this year, authorities from the UAE and the Russian Federation announced a visa-free regime between the two countries for the respective passport holders over the first 90-day period upon arrival. This ensures the utmost convenience for Middle East travellers. The recently launched non-stop flight from Dubai to Sochi operates twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. The WOW Sochi office in Dubai provides tantalising packages that are tailor-made to suit every category of sightseers with options to explore Sochi depending on your personal needs and desires. Packages with WOW Sochi start from 2,499 AED including airfares, accommodation with breakfast, airport transfers and selected tours. Rashid Al Noori, the representative of Sochi city in the UAE remarked that, “Now that we have an air bridge link between Dubai and Sochi city many UAE nationals and residents will be encouraged to explore this beautiful city where travellers will enjoy cool climate during summer months and savour a beautiful landscape with many activities to fulfill their desire during their holidays. One great advantage which the visitors to Sochi will notice is that the pricing in comparison with any other city is extremely reasonable.”
Read More »flydubai celebrates 10th anniversary
As part of the month-long celebrations for flydubai’s 10th anniversary the flydubai team came together on June 18, 2019 at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall for a preview of the story of how flydubai changed the way people travel around the region. At the event, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said, “Over the last 10 years, we have carried more than 70 million passengers, introduced new and under-explored destinations and brought people closer to share experiences and opportunities. We remain as determined as we have always been to bridge the distance between people and in doing so enrich their lives.” The airline shared the flydubai Story with its employees first recognising the contribution they have made to the success of the airline. Reflecting on the remarkable journey over the last 10 years, Ghaith, continued, “We began operations as a low-cost carrier to allow more people to travel to more places more often, however our real aim was to improve accessible air travel for over 2.5 billion people within the flydubai network. This has seen the airline evolve, introducing Business Class and refining our product offering without compromising our operational integrity. Today, we offer our customers value beyond the fare, ensuring opportunities are within reach of everyone, everywhere we fly.” Having shared the flydubai Story with colleagues, flydubai is today sharing it with those who have been brought together by choosing to flydubai over the last 10 years. Ghaith, outlining the formula for the airline’s achievements, said, “At flydubai we put our customers at the heart of everything we do. Our commitment remains to open new and underserved destinations to ensure our network complements and enhances Dubai as a hub …
Read More »flydubai’s inaugural flight lands in Naples
flydubai inaugurated its new service to Naples, becoming the first UAE national carrier to offer direct flights from Dubai. The new route is codeshared with Emirates and gives passengers access to more than 200 destinations worldwide on the combined network. With up to five flights a week, Naples becomes flydubai’s second destination in Italy after it launched flights to Sicily’s Catania last year. Onboard the flight was a senior delegation led by Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai and Thierry Aucoc, Senior Vice President, Commerical Operations, Europe, Russian Federation and Latin America at Emirates, together with representatives from the regional media. On arrival in Naples, the delegation was met by Roberto Barbieri, CEO of Naples Airport and Margherita Chiaramonte, Business Aviation Development Director, Naples Airport. Commenting on the occasion, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai said, “We are delighted to be flying to Naples, the second destination we have launched in Italy in a year. It is another example of flydubai’s decade long commitment towards opening up underserved markets and giving those in Italy more opportunities to benefit from direct flights to Dubai and beyond on our network. We look forward to the increased opportunities for trade and tourism that this new route will bring.” “Through our codeshare partnership, Emirates’ customers from across our global network, particularly from key inbound markets such as Australia, Japan and China, will now also be able to easily access Naples, while local travellers in the Naples region can connect seamlessly from their flydubai flight to Emirates flights at our Dubai hub to popular destinations such as Thailand, Australia, Egypt and China,” said Thierry Aucoc, …
Read More »flydubai celebrates 10 year milestone
The first flight took off from Dubai to Beirut 10 years ago in 2009, marking a new chapter in aviation in the history of the United Arab Emirates; today 10 years later flydubai celebrates a milestone carrying over 70 million passengers in its short span of operations. Commenting on the 10th year anniversary of the start of flydubai’s operations, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of flydubai, said, “For many years the Government of Dubai recognised the need for another carrier to serve our country. In 2009, we were able to achieve this thanks to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. flydubai was launched with a mandate to open new markets and make travel more accessible to more people. I am happy to see flydubai deliver on that commitment which has seen the airline connect 71 previously underserved cities to Dubai allowing a population of 1.5 billion easier access to one of the world’s leading aviation hubs.” HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, said, “The UAE is leading on the global air transport front and the aviation sector has been a major contributor to the overall national economy. The sector has successfully enabled the creation of an attractive environment for trade, investment and tourism to flourish.” Reflecting on the last 10 years and looking to the years ahead, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said, “flydubai’s commitment to making travel more convenient and more affordable has only grown stronger over the past 10 years. We are pleased to see that more than 70 million passengers …
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