Thursday March 9, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Flydubai, the low-cost carrier of UAE, inaugurated its direct flight between Dubai and Mogadishu on Thursday. The first Boeing 737 Max carrying passengers from Dubai landed at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu.
The company had announced on February 14, 2023, that it would start direct flights between Dubai and Mogadishu, operating daily flights, with plans to increase double daily on June 1st. This new service adds to the company's existing flight network in Africa, which includes Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Asmara, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Entebbe, Hargeisa, Khartoum, Juba, and Zanzibar.
The launch of flights to Mogadishu is part of Flydubai's strategy to expand its operations in Africa, and it is the second city in Somalia that the company flies to, after Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. Flydubai will also target those going further, who can transit in Dubai to other flydubai flights or to increasingly close partner Emirates. Mogadishu to London, Istanbul, Jeddah, Stockholm, Doha, Ankara, Oslo, Helsinki, and Amsterdam are among the most popular markets, mainly for diaspora reasons.
Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent) at Flydubai, said: “ This route will be operated by our fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, offering customers the comfort of our Business Class cabin or a more customised experience in Economy Class. “
However, Flydubai's operations in the Horn of Africa have been challenging due to the complex and ever-changing political landscape. The region has seen governments at odds over airspace control and flight clearances. In March 2020, the Somali government turned back a FlyDubai plane en route to Hargeisa due to the pandemic-related ban on international flights. In April 2020, the Somaliland government revoked FlyDubai's license and Air Arabia's license for allegedly obeying flight commands from the Somali government in Mogadishu.
In July 2021, FlyDubai resumed operations to Hargeisa after a year-long hiatus. However, in October 2021, FlyDubai once again ceased flights to Somaliland, citing operational reasons.
Despite these challenges, FlyDubai continues to operate in the region, providing an essential commercial link between the UAE and the Horn of Africa.
FlyDubai announced record profits last week, benefitting from a surge in air travel following the lifting of pandemic restrictions. The state-owned carrier reported $327 million in profit in 2022, up 43% from the previous year. It said annual revenue for 2022 was up 72%, to $2.5 billion.