Dubai: Flydubai, Dubai’s first low-fare airline, said its 30th destination will be the agricultural city of Gassim in Saudi Arabia. The announcement comes days after Yanbu was declared flydubai’s second destination in the kingdom.
With the commencement of operations to the four new cities of Yerevan in Armenia, Abha in Saudi Arabia, Sulaimaniyah in Iraq and Ashgabat in Turkmenistan in less than a month, the launch of the new route to Gassim underscores flydubai’s commitment to offering passengers from and to Dubai with affordable and diverse travel options, the airline said in a statement.
Flights FZ857 and FZ858 will operate three times per week from January 18, 2011.
Flydubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “This further solidifies our commitment to the Saudi Arabian trade, tourism and commercial industries and caters to the growing demand for low-cost air travel in the region and especially in the kingdom.
“Flydubai will be the first airline to serve Dubai and Gassim non-stop and we are confident that the demand for this route will increase considerably in the near future. Travellers from Gassim have had limited choices in terms of direct international flights and the introduction of this new route will benefit passengers with significant reduction in travel time as well as cost incurred.
“The new Gassim route marks an important step for the airline as we continue our strategic penetration into more markets in an effort to bring more ease of travel and unmatched value for money in the region.”
Gassim borders with the east of the Saudi capital of Riyadh and the Holy city of Madina. Comprising 10 governorates, Gassim is known for its rich agricultural environment and as a major exporter of some of the kingdom’s finest dates.
Flights from Dubai to Gassim begin on January 18 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Flight FZ857 departs from Dubai at 1305hrs, arriving in Gassim at 1435hrs local time. The return flight FZ858 takes off for Dubai Terminal 2 at 1520hrs, landing in Dubai at 1840hrs UAE time.
