Emirates, flydubai announce new codeshare routes

Dubai government-owned carriers Emirates and Flydubai have announced the inclusion of a further 16 destinations under their codeshare partnership.

The announcement follows confirmation of the first 29 shared flights last month as the government seeks to improve synergies between the two previously separate operations due to tougher market conditions.

Read: Emirates, Flydubai announce first flights under new partnership

Travellers will be able to book flights for travel on the codeshare routes, including Zanzibar, Kathmandu and Kilimanjaro, with travel commencing on November 8.

“We are thrilled with the positive response from travellers. Nearly 14,000 sectors have been ticketed during the first week of operation, surpassing our expectations. We have witnessed strong demand for travel from Europe and the United States to South Asian destinations,” said Emirates president Sir Tim Clark.

Codeshare destinations
• Bratislava (Slovakia)
• Chittagong (Bangladesh)
• Djibouti (Djibouti)
• Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
• Hargeisa (Somalia)
• Istanbul – Sabiha Gokcen (Turkey)
• Kathmandu (Nepal)
• Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
• Mattala Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka)
• Makhachkala (Russia)
• Podgorica (Montenegro)
• Sylhet (Bangladesh)
• Ufa (Russia)
• Voronezh (Russia)
• Yerevan (Armenia)
• Zanzibar (Tanzania)

Emirates passengers booking flights under the codeshare will receive complimentary meals on Flydubai flights and the same baggage allowance in both business and economy.

They will also receive frequent flier miles under Emirates’ Skywards programme.

Gold members of Flydubai’s OPEN programme will be able to use business check-in desks and receive priority baggage tag and delivery for Emirates flights.

Further frequent flier benefits for customers of both airlines will be announced soon.

Together the two carriers fly to more than 216 destinations and have a combined fleet of over 317 wide-body aircraft and Boeing 737s. They are expected to reach a collective 240 destinations and 380 aircraft by 2022.

Last month, the chief executive of Dubai Airports indicated that both carriers could eventually operate out of Dubai International’s Terminal 3 as they seek to coordinate operations.

Currently the minimum connection time between Emirates’ Terminal 3 and Flydubai flights Terminal 2 is two hours making the codeshare routes unviable for some passengers.

Read: Emirates and flydubai could operate from single terminal at Dubai airport