DUBAI: Dubai-based airline flydubai celebrated its inaugural service to Naples (NAP) becoming the first national carrier for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to offer direct flights from Dubai. With up to five flights a week, Naples becomes flydubai’s second destination in Italy after it launched flights to Sicily’s Catania last year.
Onboard the flight was a senior delegation led by Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai and Thierry Aucoc, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commerical Operations, Europe, Russian Federation and Latin America, together with representatives from the regional media. On arrival in Naples, the delegation was met by Roberto Barbieri, CEO of Naples Airport and Margherita Chiaramonte, Business Aviation Development Director, Naples Airport.
Commenting on the occasion, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai said: “We are delighted to be flying to Naples, the second destination we have launched in Italy in a year. It is another example of flydubai’s decade long commitment towards opening up underserved markets and giving those in Italy more opportunities to benefit from direct flights to Dubai and beyond on our network. We look forward to the increased opportunities for trade and tourism that this new route will bring.”
flydubai Business Class passengers can enjoy a comfortable spacious seat, a choice of meals from an internationally-inspired menu, a generous checked baggage allowance and fast track through immigration and security. They also are offered complimentary access to In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system, with over 1,000 hours of entertainment on HD touchscreens. Passengers in Economy are offered comfortable RECARO seats and can purchase an extra-legroom seat and light snacks or preorder hot meals prior to their flight and access to In-Flight Entertainment.
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.
“Through our codeshare partnership, Emirates’ customers from across our global network, particularly from key inbound markets such as Australia, Japan and China, will now also be able to easily access Naples, while local travellers in the Naples region can connect seamlessly from their flydubai flight to Emirates flights at our Dubai hub to popular destinations such as Thailand, Australia, Egypt and China,” said Thierry Aucoc, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe, Russian Federation and Latin America.
Emirates and flydubai entered a comprehensive codeshare partnership in October 2017, offering passengers a number of benefits, including codeshare routes to 84 destinations. Both airlines will continue to offer travel experiences reflecting their individual brands, while passengers enjoy increased flight frequencies, flexibility with flight options and access to an expanded global network. The codeshare also provides passengers with the convenience of travelling on a single ticket with seamless point to point baggage handling, the alignment of the Skywards frequent flyer programme and a smooth transfer during transit in Dubai.
Italy is an important centre for commerce, trade and industry and has become increasingly popular among travellers from across the region and the wider flydubai network. As one of the largest cities in Italy, Naples is home to a wealth of cultural attractions, great food and the beautiful Amalfi coastline. According to the Italian Government Tourist Board, UAE visitors to Italy were the highest spenders from the Middle East in 2017 with visitor numbers increasing by 21.97%.
Roberto Barbieri, the CEO of Naples Airport said: “With flydubai flights to Dubai we are providing a door to the UAE and to the East, along with opportunities to travel to destinations such as Australia and Thailand, which were previously not reachable until last week and are now just a one stop away. All flydubai flights are codeshared with Emirates and from Dubai’s aviation hub it will be possible to continue onwards to numerous destinations around the world. Along with the recent opening of connections with North America the Campania region is connected to the East, facilitating both trade and travel to exotic places. Incoming tourist flows from Asia and Australia will be easier and we expect the local tourism economy to benefit and grow “.
flydubai’s route network in Europe currently includes 27 points in Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Macedonia (FYROM), Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Flight Details
Business Class return fares to Naples will start at AED 11,025 /EUR 2,692 while Economy Class return fares will start at AED 2,225/EUR 543 including taxes. Flights can be booked through flydubai’s website (flydubai.com), the official flydubai App, Contact Centre in Dubai on (+971) 600 54 44 45 (or +39 02 43458375 in Italy), the flydubai travel shops or through our travel partners. BIZ TODAY MONITOR
