“After the Sicilian connection (Catania), Naples is the second destination to be inaugurated in Italy over the last year,” explained senior vice president of commercial operations and e-commerce for Flydubai, Jeyhun Efendi. “Our policy has always led us to open new routes especially in areas less served by other airlines of the Arab Emirates. For now, we do not have plans to open new routes, but for the future, we look at Florence if anything.
“Even the flight from Catania was a challenge and, to date, for the summer season we reach[ed] a load factor of 90%. We, therefore, look forward to the opportunities that this new route will bring for trade and tourism, also in view of Expo 2020.”
Emirates and flydubai signed a codeshare agreement in October 2017, offering passengers a series of advantages on some routes to 84 destinations. Both airlines will continue to offer travel experiences that each reflect their own brand, while passengers will enjoy greater flight frequencies, more flexibility in flight options, and access to an increasingly extensive global network.
The codeshare also offers passengers the convenience of traveling with a single ticket, managing their baggage from point to point without interruption, integrating points to the Skywards frequent flyer program, and transferring during transit in Dubai.
“Sixteen months ago, we started this partnership that allowed us to connect new airports with our hub in Dubai,” added Tierry Aucoc, senior vice president of commercial operations for Europe, the Russian Federation, and Latin America of Emirates. “To date, we have already transported 4.2 million passengers thanks to [the] codeshare. In addition, Emirates customers from our global network, especially from key markets such as Australia, Japan, and China, will be able to reach Naples more easily, while travellers departing from Capodichino will be able to fly from our Dubai hub to popular destinations like Thailand, Australia, Egypt, and China.
“It should be considered that already 70% of our passengers continue their journey after the stop in Dubai and 10% opt for the stop-over in the Emirates for a few days, especially when they return, a product that is working very well thanks to the commercial agreements with our partners.”
From its Dubai hub, flydubai has created a network of over 90 destinations and over the next decade will see its fleet grow by as many as 236 aircraft. “With the flydubai flight, we open a door to the Emirates and to the East, and even destinations like Australia and Thailand, until recently not very accessible from Naples, will be reachable with a single airport,” added Roberto Barbieri, managing director of Gesac Spa, the company that manages the Capodichino airport.
“Today, it is possible to reach 106 destinations in the world. A few weeks after the opening of the connection with North America, Campania is now approaching the East and both trade and travel to exotic places will be facilitated. The incoming tourist flows from Asia and Australia will be facilitated, and the local tourism economy will benefit from further qualitative growth.”
