Flydubai doubles Iraqi network with two new routes

Flydubai announced today that it has added two additional Iraqi destinations to its network with flights to Baghdad and Najaf due to start in the New Year. The new routes bring flydubai's network to 48 destinations across 27 countries in the GCC, Middle East, Africa, Indian Sub-Continent, Asia and the fringes of Europe.

Flydubai launched services to Iraq in 2010, serving Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, providing a huge impetus to travel between UAE and Iraq, while promoting trade ties between the two countries. The new routes mean flydubai now offers 14 flights a week to Iraq.

Flights to the two destinations will start in the New Year, allowing travellers from the UAE to take advantage of low-cost fares to two of Iraq’s commercial hubs. The four-times weekly flights to Baghdad will begin on Tuesday 17 January 2012, with the three times a week service to Najaf commencing on Sunday 29 January 2012.

Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “The UAE is currently one of Iraq’s top trading partners with non-oil trade between the two countries growing 32.6% to AED 26.4 billion, compared to 2008*. Our flights to Erbil and Sulaimaniyah encouraged business travel and we aim to mirror that success by connecting two of Iraq’s main commercial and business centres to the UAE. In addition to cultural authenticity, Iraq has a wealth of investment opportunities across sectors such as oil and gas, agriculture and we hope the routes will stimulate UAE-based and international business to explore these opportunities.”

The main demand generator for the two routes is expected to be business traffic, reflecting Iraq’s social and economic resurgence. In parallel to reconstruction work, Iraq has identified and developed key industries such as energy, construction, retail and agriculture with the help of foreign investment and expertise. In addition to business interests, there are also many sites of historical and religious significance.

Industry analyst Saj Ahmad commented: "Flydubai's relentless pursuit of new markets has seen it capitalise the void in Iraq with these new flights to Baghdad and Najaf. The latter is particularly important due to religious shrines there but even the connection to the capital means that the airline is tapping into core leisure and business segments that are poorly catered for.Its increasingly likely we'll see other airlines copying flydubai - and as low cost airline of the year in the GCC, flydubai is still clearly an innovative market leader by a wide margin."

The capital of Iraq, Baghdad is the country’s largest city, the second largest city in the Arab World (after Cairo in Egypt), and the second largest in Western Asia (after Tehran, Iran). Major attractions include the National Museum of Iraq, with an impressive collection of ancient manuscripts and historical relics, while the Abbasid Palace is one of the oldest in the region, steeped with rich historical heritage that attracts thousands of travelers every year.