Emirates chief executive officer Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum. AFP FILE PHOTO
Emirates has announced the expansion of its network to 29 flydubai destinations across three continents after the two Dubai-based airline companies sealed an extensive partnership deal.
“This is an exciting first step in unlocking the benefits of the partnership for passengers who will have the opportunity to enjoy the unique advantages each airline offers as well as greater choice and flexibility when connecting via Dubai,” HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Group and chair of flydubai, said in a statement on Monday.
“This is just the start and as we expand the partner network in the coming months we will open up more opportunities for our passengers to explore the world,” he added.
According to Emirates, the new partner network through its codeshare will “offer greater frequency and easier access to more global destinations with the advantage of connecting baggage to the final destination.”
Emirates said its passengers can book starting on Tuesday either through its website, Emirates.com, the Emirates Contact Centers or travel agents network with trips commencing from October 29.
Emirates revealed that when booked together, as part of the codeshare, Emirates passengers would receive complimentary meals as well as Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by flydubai in both business and economy classes.
“Connecting in Dubai’s aviation hub offers a smooth transfer experience and under the new partnership passengers will benefit from a reduced minimum connection time (MCT) between Emirates’ home in Terminal 3 and flydubai’s in Terminal 2 of 120 minutes,” Emirates noted.
Emiates said that this announcement is just part of an initial phase of the massive partnership agreement as the companies “see the creation of additional city pair connections as the codeshare agreement is expanded and both airlines’ networks are optimized” in future phases.
More benefits for frequent flyers
Under the first phase of the partnership, Emirates Skywards members can earn Skywards miles and Skywards Tier Miles on codeshare flights as per the existing Skywards mileage program, the company said.
“In addition to the Emirates free checked baggage allowance, Skywards Premium members can also enjoy their extra checked baggage allowances of 20kg (Platinum members), 16kg (Gold members) and 12kg (Silver members) on codeshare flights operated by flydubai,” it said.
“Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members travelling on codeshare flights can access flydubai’s Business Check-in counters and receive priority tags,” the airline added.
Below is the chart enumerating the Emirates and flydubai partnership codeshare destinations:
| City | Country Name |
| Asmara | Eritrea |
| Belgrade | Serbia |
| Kiev Zhulyany | Ukraine |
| Juba | South Sudan |
| Krasnodar | Russia |
| Samara | Russia |
| Kazan | Russia |
| Mineralnye Vody | Russia |
| Odessa | Ukraine |
| Prague | Czech Republic |
| Rostov-on-Don | Russia |
| Sarajevo | Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| Skopje | Macedonia |
| Sofia | Bulgaria |
| Tbilisi | Georgia |
| Kuwait | Kuwait |
| Baku | Azerbaijan |
| Lucknow | India |
| Ahwaz | Iran |
| Bandar Abbas | Iran |
| Esfahan | Iran |
| Lar | Iran |
| Shiraz | Iran |
| Najaf | Iraq |
| Bishkek | Kyrgyzstan |
| Muscat | Oman |
| Salalah | Oman |
| Yekaterinburg | Russia |
| Bucharest | Romania |
/kga