Flydubai has announced the start of flights to Tashkent, becoming the first carrier based in the UAE to offer direct flights to Uzbekistan.
The inaugural flight departed on March 11 from Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport (DXB) and was welcomed on arrival at Tashkent International Airport.
Onboard the inaugural flight was a senior delegation from the UAE led by Engineer Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy in the UAE. Trade delegation included the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, other business entities and members of the UAE media. On arrival at Tashkent, the delegation was received by the Deputy Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Shuhrat Vafaev and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the UAE to Uzbekistan Mohammed Al Mehairbi.
"The inauguration of flydubai's direct route between Dubai and Tashkent represents an important step in the move to reinforce economic and trade ties between the two countries--expanding the UAE's economic partnerships with the Central Asian region and empowering the business community in both countries to intensify communication and visits, which helps create opportunities like establishing projects and commercial exchanges that are mutually beneficial to both UAE and Uzbekistan," Al Mansoori said.
Commenting on the occasion, Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive officer of flydubai, said: “Uzbekistan is an important trade partner for the UAE and the start of flights to Tashkent represents a significant milestone in helping to strengthen commercial ties between us. We are pleased to be the first UAE carrier to launch direct flights between Dubai and Tashkent, opening up another underserved market in Central Asia and supporting Dubai’s vision of creating flows of travel and trade.”
flydubai has been flying to Central Asia since 2010 and the region has become an important trade partner with increasing demand for travel and tourism. Total overnight visitors from Uzbekistan to Dubai in 2018 increased by 6.3 per cent compared to 2017. In addition, Uzbekistan has already established itself as the fourth largest source market for visitors to Dubai from the region.
After recording a total trade volume of $110.3 million in 2017, the UAE and Uzbekistan signed an agreement in 2018 to set up a $1 billion investment fund to aid the promotion of economic cooperation and increase flow of trade and tourism.
Located on the ancient Silk Road, Uzbekistan is known for its rich history and beautiful mosques, madrasas and mausoleums. Its capital Tashkent is one of the largest cities in Central Asia presenting visitors with a diverse architecture of classical monuments and 12th-century mosques. Only a few hours from Tashkent, travellers can visit Samarkand, another main city on the Silk Road, which is known for its landmark Islamic sights.
Emirates will codeshare on this route and for bookings under the codeshare Emirates passengers will receive complimentary meals and the Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by flydubai in Business and Economy class.
The route to Tashkent will operate five times a week from Terminal 3 at Dubai International and will become a daily service from May 31. With the start of flights to Tashkent, flydubai will offer 33 weekly flights to seven points in Central Asia, including flights to Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Dushanbe in Tajikistan and Almaty, Astana and Shymkent in Kazakhstan. flydubai's growing network expands to more than 90 destinations in 47 countries.
Business Class return fares from Dubai to Tashkent start at Dh7,980 ($2,172.2) and are inclusive of all taxes and 40kg checked baggage, meals and inflight entertainment. Economy Class return fares from Tashkent to Dubai start at Dh1,635 ($445) including 20kg checked baggage and a meal. - TradeArabia News Service
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