Dubai-based carrier flydubai has added two flights to its roster for Saudi Arabia, with the launch of twice-weekly flights to Al Jouf and Red Sea International.
Both flights – the resumed service to Al Jouf airport (AJF), as well as the start of operations to Red Sea International (RSI) – will start from 18 April, departing from Dubai International airport’s Terminal 2 twice a week.
Flights to Al Jouf airport will run on Mondays and Thursdays, with return Business Class fares from DXB to AJF starting from Dhs8,000, and Economy Class Lite fares starting from Dhs1,400. From AJF to DXB, return Business Class fares start from SAR5,000, and Economy Lite from SAR1,200.
Flights to Red Sea International airport will operate on Thursdays and Sundays, with return Business Class fares from DXB to RSI starting from Dhs9,000, and Economy Class Lite fares starting from Dhs3,100. From RSI to DXB, return Business Class fares start from SAR9,000, and Economy Lite from SAR3,100.
“We are pleased to further expand our network in the GCC with the launch of flights to Al Jouf and Red Sea International. flydubai is committed to supporting the ongoing development in the economic and tourism sectors in the region and we are confident that these direct flights will further support the existing strong ties. We would like to thank the authorities for their support and we look forward to adding more frequencies on existing routes in the future, enabling more people to travel conveniently to more places,” said Hamad Obaidalla, chief commercial officer at flydubai.
The new flights have taken the flydubai network up to 129 destinations across 58 countries, joining other recently-added international routes to Langkawi, Mombasa, and Penang – and flights to Basel, Riga, Sochi, Tallinn, and Vilinius later this year.
Sudhir Sreedharan, senior vice president, commercial operations (UAE, GCC, Subcontinent and Africa) at flydubai, said: “flydubai becomes the first carrier to operate to Red Sea International from the UAE, offering passengers direct access to Saudi Arabia’s resorts at The Red Sea destination. This underscores our commitment to opening up underserved markets and further connecting the regions we operate to via Dubai’s aviation hub.”
The new flights come alongside a number of new hotel and resort openings at The Red Sea, including Six Senses Southern Dunes and St. Regis Red Sea Resort, with Nujuma – a Ritz-Carlton Reserve – to follow suit. Three more resorts are on track to open this year, leading up to a total of 50 resorts with 8,000 collective hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites – as well as luxury marinas, golf courses, and numerous entertainment, F&B, and leisure facilities – by the time of its full completion in 2030.
Commenting on flydubai’s announcement, Michael White, chief commercial officer of Red Sea International airport, said: “The arrival of international travellers represents an exciting next phase in RSI’s development, following our first domestic flights touching down in September last year. We are committed to providing exceptional services to passengers and airlines alike and we look forward to further expanding our network to serve The Red Sea and travellers from around the world.”