KHALEEJ TIMES, Saturday, Mar 05, 2022 | Sha'ban 02, 1443
Flydubai expands Saudi operations, first flight touches down in AlUla
Emirates:
Flydubai has celebrated its inaugural service to AlUla,
becoming the first national carrier of the UAE to operate flights from Dubai.
The inaugural flight arrived at AlUla International Airport (ULH) on Wednesday
and was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute, marking the start of a
twice-weekly service.
On board the inaugural flight was a senior delegation led by Ghaith Al Ghaith,
chief executive officer at flydubai, members of the Royal Commission for AlUla,
as well as representatives from the UAE media.
Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “We are delighted to see the first flydubai flight land
in AlUla today and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the
authorities and the Royal Commission for AlUla for their support. The launch of
operations to AlUla reflects our commitment to strengthening the cultural, trade
and tourism ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia and opening up new markets to
more passengers.”
Phillip J. Jones, chief destination management and marketing officer at The
Royal Commission for AlUla, said: “As AlUla continues to attract more visitors
from around the globe, we are thrilled to have flydubai offer year-round direct
flights from Dubai. The new twice-weekly flights will facilitate not only the
movement of visitors from the important UAE market, but from throughout
flydubai's extensive international network into AlUla."
He said there is no other destination that equals AlUla for fascinating ancient
history, heritage and culture combined with high-end luxury settings and
experiences — and now increasingly more easily accessible for both leisure and
business visitors.
"We still have five exciting weeks to go of our AlUla Moments events calendar
and we warmly invite flydubai customers to visit to enjoy our concerts,
festivals and events,” he said.
AlUla is an unseen wonder of the world that is located close to Saudi Arabia's
first UNESCO World Heritage site, Hegra, which opened to global travellers for
the first time in 2020. At Hegra, visitors can explore the remains of a
remarkable historical and archaeological site.
With the addition of AlUla, flydubai’s network in Saudi Arabia has now grown to
six destinations including Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh and Yanbu.
In addition, passengers have the option to choose full packages from Holidays by
flydubai with affordable travel packages to AlUla, starting at Dh1,899. Package
prices include Economy Class return flights and accommodation for three nights
per person based on two adults sharing a room, including tax (room only).
Travellers can customise their travel packages and add optional extras such as
travel insurance, airport transfers or sightseeing tours.
Flydubai’s passenger experience has been redesigned to enable travel in a safe
environment that minimises crew and passenger contact and offers passengers
confidence to travel at every step of their journey. Customers who book a flight
through flydubai.com will receive complimentary global cover for Covid-19
related costs to offer greater peace of mind when travelling.
Passengers are required to make sure that they are up to date with the
regulations from the Iata Travel Centre and the Iata destination tracker for
their whole journey, and follow the guidance issued by the authorities and the
airline. They can also visit the Covid-19 information hub on flydubai.com for
more information.
Complimentary Season Pass to visit Expo 2020
Passengers booking a flydubai flight to Dubai will enjoy a complimentary Season
Pass to visit Expo 2020 Dubai until March 31 2022. The initiative is valid for
all bookings made from January 2020 for travel during the event dates.
Flight details
Flights from Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) to AlUla International
Airport (ULH) will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Return Business Class fares from DXB to ULH start from Dh3,500 and Economy Class
Lite fares start from Dh1,050. Return Business Class fares from ULH to DXB start
from SR3,500 and Economy Class Lite fares start from SR1,050.