flydubai Air India Partnership Expands Travel Options
The flydubai Air India partnership is giving UAE travellers more options to connect to destinations across India and beyond. The new interline agreement links the two airlines’ networks through Dubai, Delhi and Mumbai, making it easier for passengers to book connecting journeys across both carriers on a single ticket, with baggage checked through to the final destination.
More destinations for UAE travellers
Under the partnership, flydubai passengers will be able to connect through Delhi and Mumbai to 69 destinations served by Air India.
This includes popular Indian cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Chandigarh, Goa, Jaipur, Pune and Varanasi, giving UAE residents more options when travelling beyond India’s major international gateways.
Passengers will also be able to connect to several international destinations on Air India’s network, including Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mauritius, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.
For Air India passengers, the agreement provides access to 52 additional flydubai destinations via Dubai. These include 23 destinations in Europe, 21 in the Middle East, six in Africa and two in the CIS region.
Single ticket and through-checked baggage
One of the main benefits of the flydubai-Air India interline agreement is the convenience of booking connecting flights across both airlines on a single ticket.
Passengers travelling on eligible connecting itineraries can also have their baggage checked through to their final destination. This can make the journey smoother compared with booking separate tickets, where passengers may need to collect their baggage and check in again for the next flight.
What it means for Indians living in the UAE
The partnership could be particularly useful for the large Indian community living in the UAE, especially those travelling home for family visits, holidays, weddings and other occasions.
Instead of being limited to direct services from the UAE, travellers can use flydubai and Air India’s combined networks to reach a wider range of Indian cities through Delhi and Mumbai.
It also provides additional options for UAE travellers heading further abroad. Passengers can connect through India to destinations across Southeast Asia, East Asia and Australia using Air India’s network.
Similarly, passengers arriving in Dubai on Air India can connect to destinations served by flydubai across the Middle East, Europe, Africa and other regions.
Does the partnership mean new UAE-India flights?
The agreement does not mean that flydubai or Air India has introduced new flights specifically as part of the partnership.
Instead, the two airlines are linking their existing networks. The main advantage for passengers is the ability to combine flights operated by both carriers into a single itinerary and access more destinations.
272 weekly Air India and Air India Express UAE flights
The partnership comes ahead of the winter travel season, when travel demand between India and the UAE typically increases.
Air India and Air India Express are expected to operate a combined 272 weekly flights between India and the UAE during the winter schedule, subject to individual route frequencies.
Of these, 54 weekly services will be operated by Air India, while the remaining flights will be operated by Air India Express.
Air India’s winter schedule runs from October 26 through the end of March.
flydubai expands its global network
The Air India agreement forms part of flydubai’s wider strategy to expand its international connectivity through airline partnerships.
Together with its new interline partnership with Uzbekistan Airways, flydubai now has 46 interline airline partners. These partnerships provide passengers with combined access to more than 300 destinations worldwide.
For UAE-based Indian travellers, the flydubai Air India partnership ultimately means more choice when planning a journey. While it does not introduce a new direct route between the UAE and India, combining the two airlines’ networks makes it easier to reach more Indian and international destinations through a single connecting itinerary.
