Hybrid carrier Flydubai will expand its presence in the former Yugoslavia in the coming months, with the airline to commence flights to Ljubljana, further grow frequencies to Sarajevo and begin Boeing 737 MAX operations to Belgrade. As recently reported, the carrier will inaugurate three weekly services to the Slovenian capital starting September 24. Up until now, over 70% of passengers flying between Ljubljana and Dubai did so with Turkish Airlines. "For us, this new service creates new opportunities for re-growth and development. Operations will commence after the opening of the new passenger terminal, which represents a special turning point and a new era for our airport", the General Manager of Ljubljana Airport, Zmago Skobir, said.

Flydubai is expected to restore pre-pandemic frequencies on its service between Dubai and Sarajevo, tentatively scheduled from July 12. The carrier is expected to operate three daily flights during the peak summer months. Flydubai’s Senior Vice President Commercial Operations and E-commerce, Jeyhun Efendi, previously told EX-YU Aviation news, "Sarajevo is one of our more popular routes but it is quite seasonal. Over the years we have witnessed almost 50% year-on-year passenger growth on this route. Travellers on this service predominantly come from Dubai, as well as our connecting flights from the Gulf. This is obviously inbound tourism". All flights will be operated with the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The Emirati airline has been one of the most successful foreign carriers in Belgrade since restoring operations to the city in June last year following the global lockdowns. The airline has already matched its pre-pandemic frequencies on the route, operating daily flights. Starting July 1, it will deploy the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on all of its Belgrade services. The jet features an upgraded on board product, including ten fully-flat 198cm business class seats across three rows. The first and last rows are configured 2-2, but the middle row has just two “throne” seats. Furthermore, each seat features a 39.6cm HD 1080p screen. In economy, the Recaro CL3710 seats are fitted with 29.4cm HD screens.

Starting next Friday, Flydubai will restore seasonal two weekly flights to Tivat, which will run until September 3, while its summer flights to Dubrovnik will not return this year. Services to Zagreb are scheduled to resume on September 1 with four weekly rotations, while Skopje is currently planned to return to the carrier’s network on November 1, with two weekly services.