Flydubai is expected to restore flights between Dubai and Skopje in March 2027 following a seven-year hiatus. Macedonia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport, Aleksandar Nikoloski, said an agreement had been reached for the carrier to resume operations at the start of the 2027 summer season. Flydubai itself has not commented on the matter. Mr Nikoloski made the announcement following talks with the United Arab Emirates’ Ambassador to North Macedonia. “What I would like to announce following today’s meeting with the Ambassador is that we discussed a concrete matter, namely the establishment of direct air connectivity between Macedonia and the United Arab Emirates, which will significantly contribute to the development of tourism and business between the two countries. We agreed that direct flights from Dubai to Skopje will begin with the start of the new summer season, in March 2027. Therefore, we will have a nonstop Dubai - Skopje service. This has already been agreed and Flydubai will begin operating flights some six months from now”.
The Minister added that discussions were continuing over the introduction of flights to Ohrid from the United Arab Emirates. “The second matter, which remains under discussion but which I believe is highly likely to be agreed, concerns the introduction of a direct service between one of the airports in the United Arab Emirates, whether Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, and Ohrid. This would greatly contribute to the development of tourism. These are the two concrete matters we discussed today”, Mr Nikoloski said. The talks follow a recent government visit to the UAE led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, during which the two sides also agreed to introduce visa-free travel.
Flydubai launched operations between Dubai and Skopje in October 2012, initially maintaining two weekly flights. The carrier continued serving the Macedonian capital until March 2020, when operations were suspended as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. During its final three full years on the route, the airline handled an average of approximately 27.000 passengers annually. The airline has repeatedly postponed its return to Skopje. Flights were initially due to resume in October 2020 but were pushed back to March 2021 and subsequently November of that year. The relaunch was then moved to October 2022 but did not materialise. Flydubai later scheduled a two weekly service from October 30, 2023, before withdrawing the flights from sale, marking the fifth abandoned comeback plan since the suspension.
Flydubai was subsequently selected to receive Macedonian government subsidies for restoring the route from the start of the 2025 summer season. However, the service was never scheduled, and its launch was postponed indefinitely, with the airline citing “objective reasons” beyond its control. The latest announcement therefore represents Flydubai’s seventh planned return date since operations were suspended in 2020. Skopje has remained without nonstop flights to the Gulf throughout that period, following the withdrawal of both Flydubai and Qatar Airways.
Fantastic news if it actually happens
ReplyDeleteSeventh time lucky
ReplyDeleteCongrats Skopje, I hope it's not just political talk. I might be wrong in thinking that Dubai is one route that makes more sense to start in the winter season?
ReplyDeleteActually this news is reveled 10 days ago from the Macedonian ambassador in the UAE on a meeting with all the Flydubai first people and then after that follows the minister talk in the parliament , so something real is coming. Winter is foggy issue at SKP so March sounds way better for starting
DeleteThe minister is announcing these news every year, so as long as I don't see the flight announced by Fly Dubai nothing is official
ReplyDeleteSeven planned return dates says everything. The government should wait for an official announcement from the airline before presenting this as a done deal.
DeleteAs I mention above this is first annpunced from our embassy in the UAE actually the Macedonian ambassador there. The minister talk for this coming after few days
DeleteLjubljana - Doha vs Skopje - Dubai battle continues
ReplyDeleteTrue haha
DeleteWe should add Zagreb to New York to these two 🙂
DeleteI hope it actually happens. Any idea on what the frequency might be?
ReplyDelete2x daily, and weekends either 3x or they wait on Emirates tovsee if they can deploy their A380 one rotation :) have a good weekend
DeleteLove how people get sarcastic and negative, and then boom, Skopje Airport is the fastest growing in ExYu💗
DeleteNegativism of people here just brings more and more results for SKP✈️🍀🥳
DeleteJust wait till that levels off. But yeah its been a great run for the airport thanks to wizz. Lets hope more alternatives such start operations.
DeleteI’ll believe it when Flydubai actually puts the flights on sale. We have heard the same announcement far too many times.
ReplyDelete+1000
DeleteThis would be excellent news for Skopje
ReplyDeleteHopefully the introduction of visa-free travel will make the route more viable this time. There should be demand in both directions.
ReplyDeleteThere is demand of course now we go to SOF or BEG to connect or someone using IST as well
DeleteFinally, very happy about this news, greetings from Slovenija.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSkopje desperately needs better connectivity outside Europe. Flydubai’s return would be one of the most important route restorations in years.
ReplyDeleteSKP management prefers to direct all traffic outside of Europe via IST and SAW.
Delete@10.02 as stupid comment as Fraport wants everybody to fly from LJU via MUC and FRA
DeleteUnlike Fraport TAV in SKP actually does this.
DeleteLOL rekla kazala conspiracy to the MAX
DeleteThe flight will only work if the schedule provides good connections through Dubai. Local traffic alone will probably not be enough throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteVery true!
Deletehow can FlyDubai and Emirates not have "good connections through Dubai" SMFH
DeleteLast time i flew with them pre-pandemic it was only Flydubai tickets and onward flight was also with Flydubai. I remember Flydubai was using this other airport wherease EK was using DXB so it was a challenge to use EK for onward flights because these 2 airports were not connected well with eachother. I hope this has changed, otherwise it kind of sucks.
Deletesorry, i ment Terminals
Delete10:01 Emirates airlines using Dubai as their main hub so thats what we all need to transfer there and yes this days Flydubai schedules are very acceptable to catch any Emirates flight
DeleteI would prefer Qatar Airways because Doha offered excellent connections and generally a better transfer experience, but Flydubai is still very welcome.
ReplyDeleteYou are not right, the only thing Doha offers is smooth transit while Dubai offers huge amount of transit option to the rest of the world especially for Asia and Australia transfers
DeleteSounds like political nonsense to me.
ReplyDeleteNo this is from the ambassador in UAE couple days ago after that the minister shared this informatoon. There was official meeting with Flydubai people there so sounds like something real is coming
DeleteTelevista Presenta
ReplyDeleteI will celebrate when i see it in their booking engine
Very soon my friend🍀✈️
DeleteGiven that the announcement has been made by a politician and not by FZ casts a major shadow. I would still at this stage put it under SKP-DXB, LJU-DOH and ZAG-NYC section.
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha, 3 minutes ago I just added ZAG-NYC to the post with LJU-DOH and SKP-DXB. Nice to see we think similarly 🙂
DeleteSome routes on this forum gained legendary status :)
DeleteWhat happened to Skopje - Dublin lol
DeleteCan we add Belgrade-Lagos to the list???
Delete^ no because that was a joke by a commentator not a route the airport has actually pursued or ever announced to be in discussions about.
Delete13:16 there was never information which airline will do that or when it was only slot information for the airport so dont just look sarcasm to comment and destroy an article please ;)
DeleteIts not sarcasm to note some silly route predictions that people latch upon. Duabi will return, unlike Dublin its a route that actually will work.
DeleteDublin is something new that could work and its good to giwe a chance, not sure for year round but for summer route will be ok. Anyway as a Macedonian what we really need more of those two is Dubai of course
DeleteTickets are not currently on sale, and Flydubai has made no comment. Once they start selling tickets, I’ll believe it.
ReplyDeleteThey wait for Dreamliners to start SKP 🙂
DeleteI won’t believe this until I see the plane in SKP
ReplyDeleteI think this time will be serious because this information actually come first from more official sources as embassy with the flydubai first people than the minister shared this
DeleteGreat news and much needed route I hope this will finally really happen as we dont have a single ME route🍀
ReplyDelete