Dubai-based flydubai has canceled the planned launch of three new routes to the Baltics, citing delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing.
The airline had intended to begin its first routes to the Baltic region in October, with nonstop service from Dubai International Airport to the capitals of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Flights to Riga were scheduled to start on Oct. 11, followed by Tallinn and Vilnius on Oct. 12. All three routes were due to operate three times per week.
However, the services have now been pulled from flydubai’s schedule before they have even launched, with the LCC blaming “delivery schedules and supply chain challenges.”
“The carrier has canceled its upcoming route launches to Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius and is currently unable to confirm new dates for the resumptions,” a statement issued to Aviation Week says. “In line with these developments and to mitigate the impact, we are in touch with our customers and travel partners regarding their refund or rebooking options.”
Flydubai revealed plans to launch the three routes in May, alongside a new service to EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, which began on Aug. 2. At the time of the announcement, Jeyhun Efendi—flydubai's senior vice president for commercial operations and e-commerce—said the airline had already seen “strong demand” ahead of the proposed launches.
Despite this, flydubai has been beset by aircraft delivery delays, which it says have affected its expansion plans. Boeing was set to deliver 14 737-8 aircraft in 2024, but the airline confirmed on July 22 that it would not receive any new aircraft for the rest of the year.
“We are extremely disappointed to learn that Boeing will not be able to fulfill its commitment to deliver more aircraft for the remainder of the year,” flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said. “Boeing’s short-noticed and frequent delivery schedule revisions have hindered our strategic growth plans, resulting in significant disruptions to our published schedules. The reduced capacity will ultimately affect our customers as well as our projected financial performance.”
According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, there are currently no nonstop flights between Tallinn and Dubai or Vilnius and Dubai. However, airBaltic operates three flights per week between Riga and Dubai using Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Additionally, airBaltic plans to resume its seasonal Vilnius-Dubai route in November, which was initially launched in November 2023.
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