Budget carrier flydubai will increase the number of destinations to 66 during the summer as airlines in the UAE slowly expand their network with the opening of air travel, said Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, reported Khaleej Times.

Flydubai, which resumed its flights on July 7 after suspension of over three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, will initially fly to 24 destinations.

“Today, marks the resumption of our flights and as we reflect on the last few months we should recognise that this is an important milestone. This is a positive step for the UAE and for the aviation industry. We are optimistic for the future of travel and we expect to see our schedule reach 66 destinations over the summer,” Al Ghaith said in a statement to Khaleej Times.

“Travel restrictions do remain in place around the flydubai network which we will gradually build up. We should acknowledge, however, that the way we travel has changed and our passengers do need to be prepared and ready to travel in this new way. We are delighted to welcome our first international visitors who can expect a warm welcome in the city which is well-known for its hospitality,” said Al Ghaith.

Currently, the Dubai-based carrier flies to Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Almaty, Amman, Baku, Beirut, Belgrade, Bucharest, Dubrovnik, Esfahan, Juba, Kabul, Khartoum, Kiev, Krakow, Lar, Nur-Sultan, Prague, Sarajevo, Shiraz, Sofia, Tbilisi, Tehran and Yerevan.

Earlier, Etihad said it plans to fly to 58 destinations worldwide from its Abu Dhabi hub. These will include major gateways in the Middle East, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia throughout July and August.