flydubai touches down in Hargeisa
Dubai-based carrier is the first airline outside of Africa to launch direct flights to Hargeisa
Tuesday, June 9, 2015 — Dubai-based flydubai's inaugural flight to Hargeisa landed today at Hargeisa Egal International Airport marking the launch of a direct four times weekly service to Hargeisa.
flydubai's delegation was headed by Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, and Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President Commercial (GCC, Subcontinent and Africa) of flydubai. Upon landing in Hargeisa Egal International Airport, the delegation was greeted by H.E Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail, the Vice-President of Somaliland and H.E Mohamud Hashi Abdi, the Minister of Civil Aviation and Air Transport of Somaliland.
Commenting on the launch of the route, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said: "We strive to provide underserved markets with direct air links to Dubai. The addition of Hargeisa to our network will provide the Somali diaspora with the opportunity to visit their families and friends in their home country. With the interline agreements we have in place more than 250 destinations can now offer flights to Hargeisa through Dubai's aviation hub."
The Hargeisa route will be served with four flights a week which will see flydubai operate a total of 64 weekly flights between Dubai and destinations in Africa. flydubai offers cargo services on all its African routes, providing cargo solutions to a network of more than 90 destinations in Africa, Middle East and Subcontinent, Eastern Europe, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia, and 135 additional destinations worldwide due to interline agreements.
Commenting on the inaugural flight to Hargeisa, Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Commercial (GCC, Subcontinent, Africa) at flydubai, added: "flydubai is committed to creating free flows of trade and tourism between the regions we fly to and we believe that our reliable and convenient passenger and cargo services will help to open up the trade opportunities between Hargeisa and Dubai and onward destinations."
flydubai operates a fleet of 48 new Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an average age of around three years.