DUBAI’S TWO MAIN AIRLINES MOVE CLOSER TOGETHER
(Posted 17th July 2017)
Emirates and flydubai join forces and, as previously reported here, now announce extensive partnership agreement. Passenger benefits to include access to over 200 unique destinations, seamless travel experience and frequent flyer programmes alignment.
The new partnership includes an expansive codeshare agreement, schedule alignment and network optimisation even though, for now, both airlines continue to be managed independently.
Emirates and FlyDubai earlier today unveiled an extensive partnership which will see the two Dubai-based airlines join forces to offer customers unmatched travel options. Both airlines will leverage each other’s network to scale up their operations and accelerate growth.
The partnership however goes beyond code-sharing and includes integrated network collaboration with coordinated scheduling. The new model will give FlyDubai customers seamless connectivity to Emirates’ worldwide destinations spanning six continents while for Emirates’ customers, it opens up flydubai’s robust regional network and Eastern European but also African network.
The two airlines will also further develop their hub at Dubai International, aligning their systems and operations to ensure a seamless travel experience through the ultra-modern airport; currently the world’s busiest for international passengers.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of FlyDubai, who is thought to be the driving force behind the alignment of Dubai’s two major airlines, said: ‘This is an exciting and significant development for Emirates, flydubai, and Dubai aviation. Both airlines have grown independently and successfully over the years, and this new partnership will unlock the immense value that the complementary models of both companies can bring to consumers, each airline, and to Dubai‘.
Emirates today has a wide-body fleet of 259 aircraft, flies to 157 destinations including 16 cargo-only points while FlyDubai operates 58 NextGeneration Boeing 737-800 aircraft to 95 destinations. The current combined network offers 216 destinations.
The new partnership seeks to optimise the networks and schedules of both airlines, to open up new city-pair connections offering consumers greater choice. Additionally, this will help both airlines feed more traffic into each other’s complementary networks. By 2022, the combined network of Emirates and flydubai is expected to reach 240 destinations, served by a combined fleet of 380 aircraft.
The Emirates and FlyDubai teams are presently working together on a number of initiatives spanning commercial, network planning, airport operations, customer journey experiences and frequent flyer programmes alignment.
The partnership will be rolled fully out over the coming months, with the first enhanced code-sharing arrangements starting in the last quarter of 2017. Further details will be reported here as they become available.
