flydubai set to launch flights to Doha

flydubai, Dubai’s first low cost airline, announced on Monday that its first GCC route will be to Doha.

The state-owned airline, which started operations in June, will fly twice daily to the Qatar capital from October 18.

“flydubai’s new service is intended to benefit the economies of both the UAE and Qatar and help to increase passenger numbers overall by making air travel more accessible and affordable to a wider group of people,” the airline’s CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said in a statement.

The new route marks flydubai’s seventh since it began operations. The low cost carrier already flies to Beirut, Amman, Damascus, Aleppo, Syria, Alexandria and Djibouti.  

The Doha route will target peak travel times, departing from Dubai at 0730hrs and leaving 2020hrs. Return flights will leave Doha at 0830 and 2120hrs. One way tickets will cost from AED200 including taxes and one piece of luggage weighing 10kg said the statement.

In August, Ghaith Al Ghaith told Arabian Business that he expected the airline to operate between 14-16 destinations in the Middle East and Sub Continent by the end of the year.

The same month, the airline was forced to postpone three of its India routes citing operational issues. Despite the delays, Al Ghaith said the airline remained committed to its India routes. “India will be operational. We are committed to operating [routes] to India,” he said