Flydubai to begin flights to Afghan capital of Kabul

Beginning May 17, flydubai will begin flights between Dubai and the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Beginning May 17, flydubai will begin flights between Dubai and the Afghan capital of Kabul. Flydubai is owned by the government of Dubai and was established to offer quality, low-cost travel to destinations that are underserved by direct air links to the UAE or where additional capacity is required.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai said: “We are very excited about the start of our new service to Kabul. There are currently more than 1,000 people traveling between Dubai and Kabul every day, and we are pleased to offer them the option of traveling on one of the industry’s safest, newest fleets of aircraft.

“We believe there will be a huge demand for flydubai, and as this is an important market for us; we are already working with the authorities to increase the number of flights we operate to the city. Kabul is a fascinating place with an incredible history. I am personally looking forward to making the trip in the near future.”

Following its first commercial flight in June 2009, flydubai has rapidly grown its network to comprise 13 operational destinations, with an additional five routes scheduled to begin operating by the end of June.

Sticking to the traditional low-cost model, flydubai’s fares are one way, tax inclusive, and include one piece of hand luggage. The other services you would find on a full-service airline are also available but are charged separately.
“This is how we make our fares fair,” said Al Ghaith. “After all why should you pay for a suitcase if you are traveling with hand luggage? And why should you pay for a meal if you don’t want to eat?”

Although flydubai is low cost, the airline has spent money where it counts. In 2008, flydubai ordered 50 brand new 737-800 Next Generation aircraft from Boeing at a list price of US$4 billion. The 737-800NG is one of the safest aircraft flying today and, with one taking off every 4.6 seconds somewhere in the world and a 40-year track record, there is plenty of evidence to back up that claim.

Flydubai didn’t scrimp onboard either, with seats specially designed by Recaro – seat manufacturer for Formula 1 and Porsche – to give extra comfort and legroom. A simple redesign, which moved the traditional seat back pocket to up behind the tray, gives each seat an additional 2 inches of extra legroom, and means flydubai has one of the largest seat pitches of any economy airline.

“We may be a low-cost airline, but low cost doesn’t have to mean low quality,” explained Al Ghaith. “We are committed to upholding the very highest standards of safety and comfort onboard, and we want to ensure our passengers enjoy their reliable, on-time flight with flydubai. We are different [from] other airlines operating on the Kabul-Dubai route, so I would encourage people to give us a try and find out why we have become one of the world’s fastest-growing, start-up airlines ever.”

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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