flydubai expands its network in Kazakhstan to three destinations with the start of flights to Shymkent
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 11 January 2023: flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, announced today the resumption of flights to Shymkent International Airport (CIT) from 28 February with a twice-weekly service. With the start of flights to Shymkent, flydubai grows its network in Kazakhstan to three destinations including Almaty and the capital, Astana.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “Kazakhstan has long been an important market since we first launched operations to Almaty in 2014. In 2022 we carried almost 300,000 passengers between the UAE and Kazakhstan, an increased figure of 145% compared to 2019, and we look forward to strengthening trade and cultural relations with the start of flights to Shymkent.”
The UAE and Kazakhstan have a long history of trade relations in which they cooperate together in several economic sectors including mining, agriculture, oil and gas, and construction.
Commenting on the start of flights, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, said: “we are excited to see our network grow in Kazakhstan with Shymkent as our third destination which will serve a total frequency of 22 weekly flights. This frequency will increase to 26 weekly flights from February and will offer our customers in Kazakhstan more convenient and reliable options to explore the UAE and beyond.”
After Almaty and Astana, Shymkent is the third largest city in Kazakhstan and is a major cultural centre that features bustling bazaars, ancient architecture and natural scenery.
flydubai expands its network in the Central Asian region to ten points, providing passengers from the UAE and the region with more options for travel. This includes Almaty, Ashgabat, Astana, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Namangan, Osh, Samarkand, Shymkent, and Tashkent.
Flight details
Flights between Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) and Shymkent International Airport (CIT) will operate twice a week. Emirates will codeshare on this route offering passengers more options to travel through Dubai’s international aviation hub.
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | Departure Day | Departure Time | Arrival Time |
| FZ 765 | DXB | CIT | Tuesdays | 21:10 | 02:40 |
| FZ 765 | DXB | CIT | Fridays | 22:20 | 03:50 |
| FZ 766 | CIT | DXB | Wednesdays | 03:40 | 05:40 |
| FZ 766 | CIT | DXB | Saturdays | 04:50 | 06:50 |
All Times Local
Flights are available to book on flydubai.com, the official flydubai App, the Contact Centre in Dubai on (+971) 600 54 44 45, the flydubai travel shops or through our travel partners.
For the full timetable and fares, please visit: https://www.flydubai.com/en/plan/timetable
About flydubai:
From its home in Dubai, flydubai has created a network of more than 110 destinations served by a fleet of 72 aircraft. Since commencing operations in June 2009, flydubai has been committed to removing barriers to travel, creating free flows of trade and tourism and enhancing connectivity between different cultures across its ever-expanding network.
flydubai has marked its journey with a number of milestones:
An expanding network: Created a network of more than 110 destinations in 53 countries across Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Central and South-East Europe, the GCC and the Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent.
Serving underserved markets: Opened more than 70 new routes that did not previously have direct air links to Dubai or were not served by a UAE national carrier from Dubai.
An efficient single fleet-type: Operates a single fleet-type of 72 Boeing 737 aircraft and includes: 32 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800, 37 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 3 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
Enhancing connectivity: Carried more than 80 million passengers since it began operations in 2009.
For all our latest news, please visit the flydubai Newsroom.
Aashif Shaikh
Mumbai, India