Flydubai expands European network

Flydubai is launching flights to Budapest in Hungary and Ljubljana in Slovenia later this summer as the carrier continues to grow its European network.

The airline will connect Dubai International (DXB) with Ljubljana (LJU) from Sept. 24 and Budapest (BUD) from Sept. 30. Service will be 3X-weekly and 4X-weekly respectively and Emirates will codeshare on both routes.

“With more countries lifting restrictions on international travel, we look forward to providing passengers with more options for travel this year following the launch of our wide range of summer destinations,” flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said.

Flydubai SVP of commercial operations and e-commerce Jeyhun Efendi added: “These destinations have much to offer and give travellers the chance to explore new places that will help stimulate flows of travel and tourism, particularly after a time when our customers haven’t been able to travel as much as they would have liked.”

Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that Ljubljana is unserved nonstop from the United Arab Emirates, but Emirates and Wizz Air each serve Budapest. Emirates flies DXB-BUD 3X-weekly using 777-200LR/300ER aircraft, while Wizz offers a 1X-weekly Airbus A321neo flight.

In addition, OAG schedules show that Wizz intends to launch a route between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and BUD from Sept. 16, operating twice a week on board A321neos.

Flydubai is this month serving 29 points in Europe, with service to the Greek islands of Mykonos (JMK) and Santorini (JTR) beginning on June 18. Other new destinations include Milas-Bodrum Airport (BJV) and Trabzon Airport (TZX) in Turkey, while flights to Naples (NAP) in Italy and Salzburg (SZG) resume in July.

The airline’s DXB-LJU route will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while DXB-BUD will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Photo credit: Karim Sahib / AFP / Getty Images

David Casey

David Casey is Editor in Chief of Routes, the global route development community's trusted source for news and information.