Emirates (EK, Dubai International) and its low-cost sister carrier flydubai (FZ, Dubai International) have unveiled an extensive partnership agreement which will build on their existing commercial ties.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, July 17, the carriers said their partnership would extend beyond code-sharing and include integrated network collaboration with coordinated scheduling. The two airlines will also further develop their hub at Dubai International, aligning their systems and operations to ensure a seamless travel experience through the facility. Though the two airlines are seeking closer cooperation and will leverage each other’s network to scale up their operations and accelerate growth, they will continue to be managed independently.
The partnership will be rolled out over the coming months, with the first enhanced code-sharing arrangements to come into effect during the final quarter of 2017.
The Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of flydubai, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: "This is an exciting and significant development for Emirates, flydubai, and Dubai aviation. Both airlines have grown independently and successfully over the years, and this new partnership will unlock the immense value that the complementary models of both companies can bring to consumers, each airline, and to Dubai.”
The Emirates and flydubai teams are working together on a number of initiatives spanning commercial, network planning, airport operations, customer journey, and frequent flyer programmes alignment. Work is also underway to optimise each other's networks and schedules with the aim of opening up new city-pair connections. This will also help the carriers to feed more traffic into each other’s complementary networks.
Emirates currently operates a fleet of 258 widebody jets including ninety-five A380-800s, ten B777-200(LR)s, four B777-300s, and 129 B777-300(ER)s on scheduled passenger flights to 157 destinations in 85 countries spanning six continents. For its part, flydubai operates fifty-three B737-800s on flights to ninety-four destinations in forty-four countries in North and East Africa, the Middle East, India and the Subcontinent, Eastern and Central Europe, and Russia and the CIS.
By 2022, the combined network of Emirates and flydubai is expected to reach 240 destinations, served by a combined fleet of 380 aircraft.
