Flydubai adds Lucknow service to network

After nearly a year of speculations and operational issues, low-cost carrier flydubai finally announced flights to India, with the Lucknow route launching from June 2. The CEO has also confirmed with Emirates Business that the airline is looking to further strengthen its links in India.

Lucknow's addition to flydubai's network sees the carrier gain a stronger foothold in the Indian Subcontinent ever since it announced flights to Karachi earlier this month.

"The Indian Subcontinent is a very important market and we are excited about bringing our low-cost service to this region," said CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith.

Talking about the airline's choice in Lucknow as the start city for flydubai's India operations, Ghaith stated: "Lucknow is the second largest city in one of the most heavily populated areas of India and we anticipate that this will be a very successful route for us. The city, which has a population of around five million people, is underserved by direct air links to the UAE and one of our key commitments is to start flights to this type of destination."

The flight will operate thrice weekly to the state capital of Uttar Pradesh, flydubai's 20th destination, using the carrier's new Boeing 737-800NGs. A one-way fare including all taxes and one piece of hand luggage is priced at Dh500. Ghaith said flydubai was expecting a healthy mix of business and leisure travellers on the route.

Subcontinent expansion

Last year, flydubai had announced India operations to Lucknow, Coimbatore and Chandigarh for the month of July, but citing operational issues, those routes never took off and passengers were refunded after bookings had opened.

At the time, Ghaith had stated: "We understand that this is very inconvenient for the passengers who have booked flights with us to India and we apologise for the disruption and disappointment caused. All passengers who have booked flights to India will be given a full refund, plus a voucher for a free return flight..."

Since then, the media has carried several updates, with Goa, Jaipur and Pune added to that list, citing unnamed sources in the Directorate General Civil Aviation of India. The airline has always dismissed such reports as rumours.

When quizzed again about the potential of such destinations added to the route network, Ghaith said: "We hope that we will gradually be able to increase the number of cities in India and that we will fly to as many places as we have done with both Egypt and Syria. We are working closely with the Indian authorities to develop our links between Dubai and India."

While there has been ample speculation and media reports that Indian budget carriers Indigo and SpiceJet could launch services to Dubai next year, currently Air India Express is the only low-cost airline operating on the route.

But India is not the only south Asian country flydubai has set its sights on. Aside from already flying to Nepal, the carrier will also jet into the Pakistani city of Karachi from June 21. Operating five flights a week, the one-way fare, including taxes and one piece of hand luggage starts at Dh300.

"We anticipate that our Karachi flights will be very successful and hope to be able to gradually increase the number of cities in the country that we operate to over time," said Ghaith, without revealing any plans.

Competition on the route comes in the form of the Sharjah-based Air Arabia, which already operates daily flights to Karachi, along with Islamabad and Peshawar. And starting today, Kuwait-based budget carrier Jazeera Airways is also jetting into the country, albeit it's the city of Lahore.

Meanwhile, flydubai could also face competition from Pakistan's budget carrier, Air Blue, which operates regular flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Ghaith has also confirmed the airline will receive the eighth aircraft this month and will have 13 by the end of this year.

He added: "We will have 50 by 2016, and have no need of further aircraft orders at this point."

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