Dubai: Flydubai said on Wednesday it is launching direct flights to Bratislava in Slovakia, Prague in the Czech Republic and Sofia in Bulgaria in December.

The announcement sees flydubai become the first UAE carrier to operate to Bratislava and Sofia. However, it will compete with Hungaria’s low-cost carrier Wizz Air on the Sofia route. Wizz Air flys from Al Maktoum International at the Dubai World Central.

Flydubai has launched 23 new routes this year and operates to 11 destinations in Central and Eastern Europe.