Flydubai and Air Canada have recently announced a codeshare partnership aimed at enhancing connectivity between the Middle East and North America.
This collaboration allows Air Canada to place its marketing code on nine flydubai routes originating from Dubai, enabling passengers to book seamless journeys with a single ticket.
The routes covered by this agreement include destinations in Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Dammam, and Madinah), Bahrain, Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Karachi in Pakistan, according to The National. Additionally, through an interline agreement, travelers will have the opportunity to connect from Dubai to over 60 flydubai destinations across the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia. Notably, more than 30 of these routes are exclusively offered by flydubai and are not served by other Air Canada partner airlines.
“We look forward to growing this partnership that offers passengers the benefits and the convenience of connecting via the Dubai aviation hub and we look forward to welcoming them on board soon,” said Hamad Obaidalla, chief commercial officer of Flydubai.
The two airlines are also planning to further improve the connection process in Dubai and working towards introducing “expanded features and benefits for one another’s loyalty programme members to be announced later this year”, flydubai said.
The partnership will help Air Canada tap further into the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, which are a “growing source” of immigration and travel to Canada, said its executive vice president Mark Galardo.
“This new partnership is a perfect complement to Air Canada’s non-stop service to Dubai from Toronto and Vancouver, and growing our relationship with Emirates, flydubai’s codeshare partner,” he said.
“Together we look forward to bringing together our networks and building a better experience for our customers,” Mr Galardo said.
Last November, Emirates and Air Canada initiated their codeshare partnership, marking a significant step in their collaboration efforts.
Flydubai, the Dubai-based airline established in 2009, is actively seeking to broaden its network of partnerships as it enters the next phase of expansion. During the Arabian Travel Market conference held in Dubai earlier this month, Ghaith Al Ghaith, the CEO of Flydubai, revealed that the airline is currently engaged in discussions with both Boeing and Airbus to fulfill its future fleet requirements for operational growth.
Mr. Al Ghaith mentioned that flydubai, which currently operates an all-Boeing fleet, is considering the Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A320 Neo models. While the size of the potential order was not disclosed, he indicated that Flydubai aims to finalize an agreement by the end of this year.
In January, Air Canada’s cargo division, headquartered in Montreal, signed a preliminary agreement with Emirates SkyCargo in Dubai. This agreement is an extension of the existing codeshare deal between the two airlines, focusing on initiatives to expand their combined network’s cargo capacity.
Emirates stated that the companies will enhance their freight interline options, granting customers access to increased capacity. The agreement aims to provide improved services and more extensive cargo solutions for their respective clientele.
