flydubai announces new Dubai-Astana service
flydubai will fly four times weekly to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, from 26 October 2015.
It’s the first Dubai-based carrier to serve this route and marks the low-cost airline’s third destination in the country.
Flight FZ705 will leave Dubai at 20:55 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with the return service, flight FZ706, departing Astana at 4:25 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The move comes as Kazakhstan and the UAE extend their cooperation in trade, investment and tourism as both Astana and Dubai prepare to host the World Expo in 2017 and 2020 respectively. The two countries are witnessing strong growth across many core industries including energy, Islamic finance and construction.
flydubai first launched operations to Kazakhstan in September 2014 with flights to both Almaty and Shymkent.
“It has been a year since the start of our operations in Kazakhstan and we are pleased to extend our network in the country, where we have seen strong demand for our services,” said flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith.
“The launch of flydubai’s flights to the Kazakhstani capital marks an important milestone in our expansion in the region and we look forward to showcasing our services in the capital and contributing to the development of trade and tourism between the economic hubs of Central Asia and the Middle East.”
The launch of the route is also an important development for The First Group’s rapidly expanding clientele in Kazakhstan. The company operates a regional office in Astana and counts the country as one of its fastest growing investor source markets.
Astana will be the ninth destination in flydubai’s network in Central Asia and the Caucasus taking the airline’s services from Dubai across cities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to 38 flights weekly.
flydubai operates a fleet of 49 new Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an average age of around three years and now flies to 95 destinations in 46 countries.
Business Class will be available on all flights to Kazakhstan with the airline’s in-flight entertainment system available in Russian, English and Arabic.