Flydubai’s inaugural flight from Dubai into Almaty landed on Sept. 16 at the Almaty International Airport and the low-cost carrier’s arrival was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute.
“The start of Flydubai’s direct flights from Dubai to Almaty and Shymkent provide a convenient link between these economic hubs in the Middle East and Central Asia. It marks a milestone in relations between our countries and sees the expansion of Flydubai’s network in the region to five countries,” said Flydubai Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith.
Flights from Dubai will run four times per week to Almaty and twice a week to Shymkent. Kazakhstan’s Air Astana also resumed flights from Almaty to Dubai on Sept. 1 after a four-year hiatus.
The new connections are expected to open up new opportunities for business development, tourism and trade. Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates have seen growth in various industries, including oil, Islamic finance and construction.
The four-hour direct flight from Dubai to Almaty will provide easier tourism access to Kazakhstan’s attractions, which include natural landscapes, nature reserves, rugged snow-capped mountains and ancient cities. The Almaty region also offers skiing, hiking, mountain climbing and sightseeing.
“We are pleased to increase capacity between Dubai and Kazakhstan. Business class will be available on our flights to Almaty and Shymkent, providing passengers with a more personal and comfortable travel experience. In addition, our inflight entertainment system, with over 1,000 hours of entertainment, is available in English, Arabic and Russian,” said Flydubai Senior Vice President for Commercial Operations Jeyhun Efendi.
Almaty Akim (Mayor) Akhmetzhan Yesimov, Deputy Foreign Minister Askar Mussinov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates in the Republic of Kazakhstan Suhail Matar Al-Ketbi, Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Dubai Askar Shokybaev and other officials were on hand to greet the flight.
