- SUMMARY
- FlyDubai is expected to suspend flights between Dubai and Chennai.
- The airline is planning to shift the capacity deployed in Chennai to Kochi International Airport.
- The downfall of Chennai Airport continues after the recent Air France operational suspension.
The decline in international services from Chennai International Airport does not seem to stop. Recently, Air France withdrew its services between Chennai and Paris, leaving the airport connected to only two major cities. Now, the airport is set to witness the downfall of flights to and from Dubai. FlyDubai, the subsidiary of Emirates has intended to cease operations from Chennai.
FlyDubai: Stopping Chennai Operations
Dubai-based airline, FlyDubai currently operates three times a week between Dubai and Chennai. The airline operates these flights on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays with the Boeing 737-800NG aircraft. This is a very old route of FlyDubai, the origin of which traces back to 2015.
In a surprising move, the airline has now decided to suspend operations on this route. According to bookings available on the FlyDubai website portal, the airline will not operate these flights beyond 14 May.
After this suspension, only three airlines will be serving the Chennai to Dubai route. These are Emirates, IndiGo, and Air India. Emirates dominates in this market with three daily flights using the widebody Boeing 777 aircraft. Air India and IndiGo operate one daily flight each utilizing the Airbus A320neo aircraft.
FlyDubai: Shifting Chennai Services to Kochi
We all are aware that the market between India and Dubai is a bilateral constraint market. Airlines from both sides have fully utilized their flying rights and hence, cannot add more flights.
When I received the news about FlyDubai ceasing Chennai services, I was quick to understand that the airline is shifting capacity to some other Indian city. I quickly went to the airline website and checked the bookings of all the cities. And there, I found it.
FlyDubai has opened reservations for three additional weekly flights between Kochi and Dubai. These flights will start from May 15. The starting date of these extra flights clearly states that the airline has shifted capacity between Indian cities. After May 15, FlyDubai will operate six times a week between Kochi and Dubai. It will operate on all days except Mondays.
Flight Number | Departure Airport | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Arrival Airport |
FZ453 | Dubai | 20:30 | 02:15 (+1) | Kochi |
FZ453 | Dubai | 22:30 | 04:15 (+1) | Kochi |
FZ454 | Kochi | 03:15 | 06:05 | Dubai |
FZ454 | Kochi | 05:15 | 08:05 | Dubai |
Beware that this data is according to tentative bookings available. In case, the schedule is changed, this data will be revised and I will provide the update here.
With this reduction, FlyDubai will be operating to 8 Indian cities. Currently, it operates to 9 cities including Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, and Mumbai. The airline operates a total of 30 weekly flights to these nine Indian cities utilizing its flagship fleet of Boeing 737 jets.
Expanding in Saudi Arabia
From April 18, FlyDubai is expected to start flights to two cities in Saudi Arabia. It will resume flights to Al Jouf and will commence services to Red Sea International Airport. With this move, the airline will be operating to 129 global destinations across 58 countries.
For flights to Red Sea International Airport, it will dock at Terminal 2 of Dubai Airport. Flights to Al Jouf will be operated twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays. Similarly, RSI will also run twice weekly on Sundays and Thursdays.
This will be the first international service from Red Sea International Airport. The Chief of Res Sea Global Group, John Pagano said that the airport will serve 1 million annual passengers at full capacity. The airport witnessed its inaugural flight just six months ago. Currently, Saudia Airlines connects RSI to Jeddah and Riyadh.
What do you think about this international route network augmentation of FlyDubai? Discuss in the comments.
With Inputs From JetArena
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