The direct Dubai - Zagreb flight operated by "Flydubai", a low - cost airline, was inaugurated on Tuesday when a plane of that Dubai - based company landed at Zagreb Airport and in future the route will connect these two cities operating three flights a week, a press conference was told.
The new Dubai - Zagreb flight service is one of five new destinations in Central and Eastern Europe introduced by Flydubai in an effort to connect these cities with Dubai International Airport which records the highest air traffic in the world. Flydubai recently introduced direct flights to Belgrade, Skopje and as of yesterday to Sarajevo.
The new route to Zagreb shows the growing demand on the market for affordable passenger options around central and eastern Europe. The new route will offer a wider range of options for passengers wishing to travel to Dubai and further on to the Middle East, Africa and Southern Asia, the company said.
The company believes that the number of tourists for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) coming to Croatia could double or even triple but that it will also lead to a growing number of tourists from Croatia and Slovenia travelling to Dubai with aircraft capacities being at least 70 percent full and perhaps even more in the summer months.
Croatian Deputy Tourism Minister Daglas Koraca informed that in the first eleven months of this year, the number of tourists from UAE to Croatia had grown by 30 percent with 40 percent more overnight stays and that this new route would certainly contribute to better tourism results.
These new destinations fall into the ministry's plans and activities to develop shoulder season tourism which will extend our tourism season, Koraca said.
Economy Class return fares to Zagreb will start at 399 euro, while Business Class fares will start at 1,600 euro for a five and a half hour flight. The company has announced special economy return fares for flights booked between 15 and 20 December and travelling between 15 January and 15 March at 198 euro.
Since starting operations in 2009 Flydubai has served a network of 86 destinations and in 2014 alone it has opened 23 new routes. The company consists of 42 airplanes and by 2023 it expects to expand its fleet with 100 new Boeing planes.
(Hina)