The low-cost airline to start Karachi service from June 21
6 May, 2010
DUBAI — Flydubai on Wednesday unveiled its plan to make foray into Pakistan by starting a daily service to port city of Karachi. The low-cost airline will operate daily flights to Pakistan’s largest city and financial capital from June 21 and a one-way fare, including all taxes and one piece of hand luggage, is priced at Dh300.
The Dubai-based airline, established in March 2008 with start-up capital of D250 million, is continuing the rapid expansion of its network. Karachi, popularly referred to as the city of lights, is the sixth new route announced flydubai within a span of four weeks, bringing the airline’s growing route network to an impressive 19 destinations.
“Karachi would play an important role in expanding flydubai’s reach and will make a significant difference to the Pakistani expatriates working in the UAE,” Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, said.
Flydubai flight (FZ333) will depart Dubai from Sunday to Thursday at 0815 hours and arrive in Karachi at 1125 hours. The return flight, FZ334, will leave at 1210 hours arriving in Dubai at 1320 hours local time. On Fridays and Saturdays FZ333 will depart Dubai at 1135 hours and arrive in Karachi at 1445 hours. The return flight, FZ334, will leave at 1530 hours and arrive in Dubai at 1640 hours local time.
“This new move by flydubai will provide not only excellent competition and connections between the two cities, but both Air Arabia and Jazeera Airways will likely make a move here too,” said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at FBE Aerospace, London. Pakistan is home to many of the expatriate workers in the UAE and the low-cost flights to Karachi are expected to create a large demand on Dubai-Karach-Dubai sector.
“There are currently more than 700,000 expatriates from Pakistan working in the UAE and an extra opportunity for them to travel back home has to be good news. We are in the business of bringing more people together more often and we can see the Karachi route being a very busy one indeed,” Al Ghaith said.
“I also expect that before the year is out, flydubai will extend its footprint in Pakistan to include Islamabad and Lahore — this might pose trouble for PIA which is under severe financial distress, but customers will not lose out as they can select a more efficient airline and one with potential to grow, expand and offer better services,” Ahmad said.
The UAE is also Pakistan’s biggest source of foreign remittance through banking channels. The bilateral trade between the two countries was around $6 billion (Dh22.04 billion) in 2009, making the UAE the second largest trade partner of Pakistan.
“Pakistan is already a very close trading partner with the UAE and there is always the potential for even more commercial ties. One of our goals is to use the flydubai routes as a means for people to forge new friendships, visit new places and new cultures, to experience new destinations and to enjoy new relationships, whether for business or pleasure,” Al Ghaith said.
Flydubai, which began operations in June, placed a $4 billion order for 50 single-aisle Boeing 737 planes at the Farnborough Air Show in England in 2008 and now operates a fleet of seven aircraft. It expects to have 13 aircraft by the end of 2010 and to take delivery of seven to eight planes every year thereafter.
The airline will soon start service to Assiut and Luxor-Egypt, Istanbul-Turkey, Kabul-Afghanistan and Latakia-Syria.