LONDON – Dubai-based airline flydubai has confirmed the resumption of flights to Shymkent International Airport (CIT) in Kazakhstan from 28 February with a twice-weekly service.
With the start of flights to Shymkent, flydubai grows its network in Kazakhstan to three destinations including Almaty and the capital, Astana.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “Kazakhstan has long been an important market since we first launched operations to Almaty in 2014.”
“In 2022 we carried almost 300,000 passengers between the UAE and Kazakhstan, an increased figure of 145% compared to 2019, and we look forward to strengthening trade and cultural relations with the start of flights to Shymkent.”
The UAE and Kazakhstan have a long history of trade relations in which they cooperate together in several economic sectors including mining, agriculture, oil and gas, and construction.
Flight details
Flights between Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) and Shymkent International Airport (CIT) will operate twice a week.
Emirates will codeshare on this route offering passengers more options to travel through Dubai’s international aviation hub.
Commenting on the start of flights, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, said: “we are excited to see our network grow in Kazakhstan with Shymkent as our third destination which will serve a total frequency of 22 weekly flights.”
“This frequency will increase to 26 weekly flights from February and will offer our customers in Kazakhstan more convenient and reliable options to explore the UAE and beyond.”
After Almaty and Astana, Shymkent is the third largest city in Kazakhstan and is a major cultural centre that features bustling bazaars, ancient architecture and natural scenery.
Flydubai Central Asian network expansion
The carrier recently announced a network expansion in the Central Asian region with the resumption of direct flights to Ashgabat Turkmenistan with a twice-weekly service set to commence shortly on 23 January 2023.
Ashgabat is the capital and largest city in Turkmenistan and is nestled in between the vast Karakum Desert and Kopetdag mountains.
With the recently announced resumption of flight services to Shymkent in Kazakhstan, flydubai has effectively now expanded its network in the Central Asian region to ten points, providing passengers from the UAE and the region with more options for travel.
This includes Almaty, Ashgabat, Astana, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Namangan, Osh, Samarkand, Shymkent and Tashkent.
From January onwards, the airline is also set to commence flights to seven new destinations including Cagliari, Corfu, Gan, Krabi, Milan Bergamo, Pattaya and St Petersburg, growing its network to 116 destinations in 53 countries.
About flydubai
From its home base in Dubai, flydubai has created a network of more than 110 destinations served by a fleet of 72 aircraft.
The airline operates a single fleet-type of 72 Boeing 737 aircraft and includes: 32 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800, 37 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 3 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
It has carried more than 80 million passengers since it began operations in 2009.
