Upon receiving the final regulatory approval, Air Canada will implement its marketing code on nine routes operated by flydubai out of Dubai, which will enable customers to travel to these markets with a single ticket. This will cover routes to Middle Eastern cities including Medina, Dammam, Bahrain, Jeddah, and Muscat, along with flights to Colombo and Karachi in the Indian Subcontinent.
Furthermore, an interline agreement will allow passengers to smoothly transition in Dubai to over 60 destinations serviced by flydubai in the Middle East, East Africa, and Southern Asia, such as Kathmandu, Djibouti, and the Maldives. Notably, more than 30 of these destinations are unique to flydubai and are not covered by any of Air Canada's other partners.
Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President of Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada, shared his enthusiasm about the new partnership, saying, "Air Canada is thrilled to team up with flydubai, further extending our reach to the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent—a region experiencing growing immigration and travel to Canada. This new partnership aligns perfectly with Air Canada's non-stop service to Dubai from Toronto and Vancouver and enhances our relationship with Emirates, flydubai's codeshare partner. Together, we're excited to merge our networks and elevate our customer experience."
Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, reflected on the codeshare announcement: "We're delighted to add Air Canada to our roster of partners and to provide their passengers with a seamless travel experience across the flydubai network. We anticipate fruitful growth from this partnership, offering passengers the benefits and convenience of connecting via Dubai's aviation hub, and we look forward to welcoming them on board soon."
The airlines are also developing plans to further streamline the connection process in Dubai. They are working on enhancing features and benefits for each other's loyalty program members, with details to be announced later this year.
