Somalilandsun: Middle East airline flydubai has today annouced plans to expand its route network to include a total of 80 destinations. The airline is launching new routes to Russia, Iran and Europe, along with resuming some of its previously served destinations.
Flydubai’s huge expansion
United Arab Emirates government-owned flydubai has announced today that it plans to expand its current network to include over 80 destinations. Dubai International Airport (DXB)-based flydubai says that it plans to grow its Russian network with new routes to the following destinations. Full destinations list HERE
For travellers in and out of Somaliland low cost services by the carrier continue to remain a big want following a legal flight rights Contraversy between Fliydubai and the government in Hargeisa.
The dispute saw the governent ban two Emirati carriers of Flydubai and Al Arabia after the low cost carriers suspended flights to Hargeisa’s Egal International Airport through orders from the Mogadishu based Sonalia civil aviation authority.
Somaliland and Somalia formerly United from 1960 until 1991 are in dispute over airspace management.
The ban imposed by Sonaliland on the two Emirati carriers was occasioned by the a flight ban imposed in out of Somalia s part of Covid-19 preventive measures by the federal authorities in Mogadishu,.
Flydubai and Al Arabia which never and don’t operate flights to Somalia but only to Somaliland obeyed the orders from Mogadishu and ceased operations to Egal Egal international airport.
The acquiescence promoted the Sonaliland government to ban the two carriers from operating in the country.
To date the stand off remains despite several measures to resolve the impasse that is as a result of what the authorities in Hargeisa say is a Legal and Not Political matter.
The Somaliland stance on legalities on her action to ban the two carriers was reinforced during a stormy cabinet meeting chaired by President Musa Bihi in mid October 2920.
The session which turned into two camps one fronting the flydubai ban and the other in opposition ended with the pro ban carrying the day.
A statement issued later read “The flight ban imposed on two low cost Emirati carriers shall not be rescinded anytime soon unless a number of conditions are met”
The main condition was an official apology from the carrier yet to be met though a day after the government of Somaliland refused to rescind the ban Flydubai responded by stating that “we are ready for fruitful flight resumption discussions with the Sonaliland authorities
In the meantime and seven mo ths to boot travellers are forced to pay huge sums in air fares charged by Ethiopian Airlines, the one remaining international carrier plying the Hargeisa route
