Emirates and flydubai expand global reach with 14 new destinations in 2025

Dubai: Emirates and flydubai have launched flights to 14 new destinations across their global networks since the start of 2025, driven by strong international travel demand and Dubai’s continued emergence as a leading global aviation hub. The expansion also includes the resumption of seasonal routes and increased flight frequencies to existing destinations.

Emirates adds five new destinations

Emirates, the flagship carrier, introduced five new destinations this year. The airline inaugurated services to Da Nang, Vietnam on June 2, followed by Siem Reap, Cambodia on June 3, and Shenzhen, China on July 1.

The airline also resumed operations to Damascus, with plans to expand to daily flights from October 26. In early August, Emirates launched a new daily service to Hangzhou, marking its fifth gateway in mainland China and its second addition in less than a month after Shenzhen.

Emirates plans to deploy its Airbus A350 aircraft on the Hangzhou route starting October, reinforcing its commitment to the Chinese market.

flydubai’s aggressive global expansion

Low-cost carrier flydubai has launched flights to nine new destinations since January 2025. In September, it began regular services to Iași, Romania, becoming the first UAE carrier to operate direct flights from Dubai to the city. With twice-weekly flights, flydubai now serves two Romanian destinations, Iași and Bucharest, and plans to increase Bucharest operations to three daily flights, totaling 21 weekly services.

Also in September, flydubai inaugurated flights to Chisinau, Moldova, becoming the first UAE national carrier to connect Dubai directly with the Moldovan capital. Earlier this year, the airline expanded its summer network with seasonal services to Antalya, Turkey, and Al Alamein, Egypt.

On June 1, flydubai resumed daily flights to Damascus, marking a milestone as the first UAE carrier to restore operations to the Syrian capital. The airline also launched new services to Peshawar, Pakistan from May 15, 2025, and added three destinations in Iran: Bushehr and Tabriz on March 13, and Qeshm Island on March 14.

Looking ahead: New routes in late 2025

flydubai plans to further strengthen its global footprint with three additional routes in the final quarter of 2025. Scheduled launches include flights to Nairobi, Kenya from October 15, as well as new European routes to Riga, Latvia, and Vilnius, Lithuania, beginning in December.