Dubai’s low cost airline Flydubai has launched its 6th route to Saudi Arabia on 17th July. Flydubai now flies daily from its Dubai International Aiport base to Dammam with its 189-seat 737-800s.
Flydubai’s last Saudi routes to be launched were Riyadh and Jeddah, which were both launched in May. The new route faces considerable competition, with Saudi Arabian Airlines flying 12 times a week against Emirates’ daily and Malaysia Airlines’ twice-weekly flights.
The only low-cost competitor on the route is nasair, which flies once a week, however, there is also indirect competition at Sharjah from Air Arabia’s twice-daily service. flydubai’s CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith commented on the airline’s latest route launch:
“Development of the travel and tourism industry is a core focus for the Saudi government as it increases its non-oil GDP and diversifies the economy. With the launch of this route we hope to further strengthen bilateral trade relations between the two countries and open up new areas of partnership.”