flydubai Touches Down in AlUla

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 03 March 2022:   flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, celebrated its inaugural service to AlUla on 02 March, becoming the first national carrier of the UAE to operate flights from Dubai. Yesterday’s inaugural flight arrived at AlUla International Airport (ULH) and was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute, marking the start of a twice-weekly service. Onboard the inaugural flight was a senior delegation led by Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, members of the Royal Commission for AlUla, as well as representatives from the UAE media. The delegation was invited to a welcome reception which was followed by a press conference.

Speaking at the press conference, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “we are delighted to see the first flydubai flight land in AlUla today and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the authorities and the Royal Commission for AlUla for their support. The launch of operations to AlUla reflects our commitment to strengthening the cultural, trade and tourism ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia and opening up new markets to more passengers.”

Phillip J. Jones, Chief Destination Management and Marketing Officer at The Royal Commission for AlUla said: “As AlUla continues to attract more visitors from around the globe, we are thrilled to have flydubai offer year-round direct flights from Dubai. The new twice-weekly flights will facilitate not only the movement of visitors from the important UAE market but from throughout flydubai's extensive international network into AlUla.  There is no other destination that equals AlUla for fascinating ancient history, heritage and culture combined with high-end luxury settings and experiences - and now increasingly more easily accessible for both leisure and business visitors. We still have five exciting weeks to go of our AlUla Moments events calendar and we warmly invite flydubai customers to visit to enjoy our concerts, festivals and events.”

AlUla is an unseen wonder of the world that is located close to Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage site, Hegra, which opened to global travellers for the first time in 2020. At Hegra, visitors can explore the remains of a remarkable historical and archaeological site.

With the addition of AlUla, flydubai’s network in Saudi Arabia has now grown to six destinations including Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh and Yanbu.

In addition, passengers have the option to choose full packages from Holidays by flydubai with affordable travel packages to AlUla, starting at AED 1,899. Package prices include Economy Class return flights and accommodation for three nights per person based on two adults sharing a room, including tax (room only). Travellers can customise their travel packages and add optional extras such as travel insurance, airport transfers or sightseeing tours.

flydubai’s passenger experience has been redesigned to enable travel in a safe environment that minimises crew and passenger contact and offers passengers confidence to travel at every step of their journey. Customers who book a flight through flydubai.com will receive complimentary global cover for COVID-19 related costs to offer greater peace of mind when travelling.

Passengers are required to make sure that they are up to date with the regulations from the IATA Travel Centre and the IATA destination tracker for their whole journey, and follow the guidance issued by the authorities and the airline. They can also visit the COVID-19 information hub on flydubai.com for more information.

Complimentary Season Pass to visit Expo 2020

Passengers booking a flydubai flight to Dubai will enjoy a complimentary Season Pass to visit Expo 2020 Dubai until 31 March 2022. The initiative is valid for all bookings made from January 2020 for travel during the event dates.

Flight details

Flights from Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) to AlUla International Airport (ULH) will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Return Business Class fares from DXB to ULH start from AED 3,500 and Economy Class Lite fares start from AED 1,050. Return Business Class fares from ULH to DXB start from SAR 3,500 and Economy Class Lite fares start from SAR 1,050.

Flights are available to book on flydubai.com, the official flydubai App, the Call Centre in Dubai on (+971) 600 54 44 45, the Call Centre in Saudi Arabia (+966) 206 0033, 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 95 destinations served by a fleet of 60 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 95 destinations in 50 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 60 Boeing 737 aircraft and includes: 34 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800, 23 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 3 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

Enhancing connectivity: Carried more than 75 million passengers since it began operations in 2009.

For all our latest news, please visit the flydubai Newsroom.

About AlUla:

Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.

The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of 111 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement. Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire.

In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the captial of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula; and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town is also a prominent site of heritage - a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, and Hijaz Railway and Hegra Fort, connected to the story of Lawrence of Arabia.

For more information, please visit: www.experiencealula.com