Flydubai, a leading low-cost carrier, will start flying to Bucharest and Skopje in the Republic of Macedonia in October, raising its network in Central & Eastern Europe to 15 points across 10 countries.

Since the launch of the first flight to Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2009, the airline has gone on to start operations to a number of key destinations in the region including: Armenia; Georgia; Kyrgyzstan; Russia; Serbia; Turkmenistan; and Ukraine and is the only scheduled operator flying from Dubai to Belgrade, Donetsk and Kharkiv.

The three-times weekly flights to Bucharest will begin on October 1, with the twice-weekly service to Skopje commencing on October 18.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, flydubai’s CEO, said: “Our two latest routes illustrate flydubai’s commitment to expanding connectivity from the Middle East to new destinations that have historically been underserved.”

“This offers more choice to our customers, increasing international travel options and avenues for trade. Furthermore, our base in Dubai provides the sizeable Romanian and Macedonian expatriate populations around the globe with affordable links to their home nations.”

In parallel to flydubai’s expanding presence in Central & Eastern Europe, visitor numbers to Dubai from the region continue to grow. Latest figures from Dubai Airports revealed an increase of more than 35 per cent during the first four months of 2012 in comparison to the same period last year.

With trade and investment in the region expected to rise following a number of initiatives by the UAE, including the opening of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s international representative office in Azerbaijan at the end of 2012, flydubai’s growing network will provide the UAE business community with reliable links to explore further commercial opportunities in the region.

“As economies within Central & Eastern Europe gather momentum and destinations gain more prominence, the breadth of flydubai’s reach within the region will be instrumental in promoting trade ties and encouraging travel,” added Al Ghaith.

Located on the banks of the Dâmbovita in Romania, Bucharest is the tenth largest city in the EU by population.

It is the centre of the Romanian economy and industry, accounting for almost 23 per cent of the country’s GDP in 2010. It is an introduction for travellers to Romania’s picturesque medieval towns in Transylvania, the majestic Carapathian Mountains and the protected wetlands of the Danube Delta.

Skopje, a regional favourite among history-buffs and art-lovers, is the Republic of Macedonia’s capital and largest city.

Inhabited since 4000 BC, Skopje is transforming into a regional economic powerhouse, hosting more than 64,000 companies across a number of industries. It has also embarked on the “Skopje 2014” project – a major drive to raise the standard of its infrastructure and improve the look of the city. – TradeArabia News Service