Flydubai has launched services from its hub in the United Arab Emirates to Dubrovnik this morning, becoming the first airline to link the Persian Gulf with the Croatian coastal city through nonstop flights. On board the inaugural service was a delegation of representatives from the airline together with members of the press. They were met in Dubrovnik by the Croatian State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Tonči Glavina, the General Manager of Dubrovnik Airport, Frano Luetić, the airline's representative for the former Yugoslavia, Predrag Popović, and the regional Country Manager, Martin Gross. On arrival, the flight was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute.


The route will initially be maintained three times per week, each Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, before increasing to four weekly from June 13. Services will run on a seasonal summer basis until October 25. Flydubai's Senior Vice President for Commercial Operations (UAE, Middle East, Europe & CIS), Jeyhun Efendi, said, “Flydubai is the first airline to offer passengers convenient, direct flights from Dubai to Dubrovnik. Our new service reflects Flydubai’s commitment to open up 71 previously underserved markets on our network of more than ninety destinations”. Mr Gross added, "Opening this new route is an exciting and significant development for Emirates, Flydubai, Croatia and the UAE. Not only can travellers in this region take a flight with Flydubai from Dubrovnik and connect seamlessly in Dubai to an exciting range of Emirates’ destinations, but we will also bring in more tourists to Croatia from Dubai and beyond, boosting the economy and extending business relations". Mr Luetić added, "We welcome the launch of FLydubai flights from Dubai to Dubrovnik. This is a significant milestone both for our airport and the entire Dubrovnik region. Connectivity is of paramount importance in today's global world and this new route will make Dubrovnik more accessible for tourists from the Middle East, Asia and Australia and contribute to the further development of the region’s tourism sector".

In addition to carrying tourists from Dubai and other Gulf states to the Croatian coast, the new service will also cater for the growing number of travellers visiting Croatia from the Far East. Flydubai has a wide-ranging codeshare and partnership agreement with Emirates, allowing passengers to book their trip with both airlines via Dubai on a single ticket. The hybrid carrier faces no direct competition on the route, however, it goes up against Turkish Airlines which vies for a similar passenger base on its Istanbul - Dubrovnik service. Furthermore, Emirates maintains flights to Zagreb and enables travellers to reach Dubrovnik, Split and Pula with a single ticket and baggage through-checked as part of an interline agreement with Croatia Airlines.

The launch of its Dubrovnik service marks Flydubai's return to Croatia after two years. The airline previously operated flights to Zagreb which were suspended in November 2016. This was followed up several months later by Emirates' announcement of its planned flights between Dubai and the Croatian capital, although Flydubai maintains the suspension was not coordinated. The hybrid carrier is growing its operations to the former Yugoslavia this summer. It will maintain up to three daily flights to Sarajevo from mid-June, immediately following the Eid holiday, which will run until mid-September. Furthermore, the airline has deployed its new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on its daily flights to Belgrade and will add an additional weekly service to Tivat for a total of three.