Dubai, UAE, 20 April 2015: Dubai-based flydubai today further strengthened its commitment to the Russian market adding Novosibirsk and Nizhniy Novgorod to its comprehensive network in the region.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said: “The addition of Novosibirsk and Nizhniy Novgorod to our network is an important milestone for flydubai’s operations in Russia and brings the total number of destinations we serve in the country to 10. Both Russian cities are established economic hubs in the regions and we hope that our direct flights from Dubai will help to open up their tourist and business opportunities to travellers from the Middle East.”

The three times weekly service to Novosibirsk and the twice weekly service to Nizhniy Novgorod will commence on 04 and 07 October 2015 respectively and will complement the already established large regional network the airline has built in Russia. The airline’s comprehensive network in the country includes daily flights to Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport, launched in September 2014, and flights to Kazan, Samara, Ufa and Yekaterinburg, which were launched throughout 2012. flydubai has also created an extensive network in the South of Russia, with flights to Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody and Rostov-on-Don operating since April-September 2013. With the addition of these two new routes the total number of flydubai points in Russia has grown to 10.

Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President Commercial (UAE, EU, ME, CIS) of flydubai, said: “The launch of flights to Novosibirsk and Nizhny Novgorod further proves our commitment to providing passengers in Russia with direct air links to Dubai. Our research has shown that direct air links are one of the main reasons our passengers from Russia choose to fly with us (29% of Economy Class and 45% of Business Class passengers). We are also pleased by how positively our Business Class has been received in Russia with 70% of our Business Class passengers choosing to fly with us again.”

flydubai offers its passengers an award-winning inflight entertainment system available in Russian with an extensive range of Russian content including music, movies and newspapers. flydubai is also the first airline to introduce the Boeing Sky Interior system, which was designed to minimise jetlag, increase overhead locker space and ensure the best possible experience for all passengers, regardless of the class of travel. Passengers travelling in Economy Class also have access to a variety of cold and hot meals available on a pre-order basis.

flydubai provides the option for Business Class travel on all of its routes in Russia. Business Class passengers enjoy a comfortable spacious seat, a choice of meals from an internationally-inspired menu, a generous checked baggage allowance and fast track through immigration and security. In addition Business Class passengers have access to business lounges across the network and a dedicated 24-hour Business team to assist with bookings and attend to enquires throughout their journey.

flydubai operates a fleet of 47 new Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an average age of around three years and from its hub in Dubai has created a network of more than 90 destinations in 46 countries. The airline also provides access to over 250 destinations via Dubai International Airport thanks to interline agreements with its partners.