flydubai expands to new European destination, tickets priced from Dh1,600

Dubai: flydubai has launched direct flights to Iași, Romania, becoming the first UAE airline to serve the historic city with return economy fares starting from Dh1,600.

With the start of its twice-weekly service to Iași, the carrier grows its network in Romania to two destinations, including Bucharest, as the Dubai-based carrier accelerates its European expansion after growth constraints last year.

The twice-weekly service to Iași International Airport marks flydubai's second Romanian destination alongside Bucharest, where the airline plans to increase frequencies to triple daily from the end of October.

This will bring total weekly flights to Romania to 21, demonstrating the carrier’s ambitious recovery plans following aircraft delivery delays that hampered expansion in 2024.

“Romania has long been a significant market for us, where we have continued to see steady growth since starting flights in 2012,” said Jeyhun Efendi, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai.

“Over the last few years, passenger numbers have grown by an average of 16 per cent annually on our route to Bucharest,” Efendi said.

The Romania expansion comes as flydubai rebounds from growth limitations in 2024, when aircraft delivery delays constrained the airline’s ability to launch new routes and increase frequencies to meet strong demand. The carrier is now capitalising on improved aircraft availability to pursue its European ambitions more aggressively.

flydubai has been steadily building its European network, with Chișinău in Moldova welcomed as its latest destination on September 17. From December, the airline will also launch services to Vilnius in Lithuania and Riga in Latvia.

"By introducing Iași as our second destination in Romania, alongside our planned increase in flights to Bucharest from the end of October, we are confident these enhancements will offer our customers greater convenience," Efendi added. "Beginning with a twice-weekly service to Iași, we are pleased to open up another underserved market for our customers to discover.”

Economy Class Lite fares from Dubai starting at Dh1,600 return, while business class fares begin at Dh29,400 (EUR 2,000 from Iași to Dubai). Emirates will codeshare on the route, providing passengers with enhanced connectivity through Dubai’s international aviation hub.

Romeo Vatră, General Manager of Iași Airport, said, “At present, Iași Airport is the only airport in the Moldova region offering direct connections to the United Arab Emirates. We are pleased to welcome flydubai to Iași and would like to thank them for the confidence they have shown in choosing our city."

Flights operate twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays from Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport.