The flydubai and Emirates airlines began a code-sharing partnership on 29 routes, including routes to Kyiv and Odesa, on 3 October. Thanks to the partnership between these two Middle Eastern airlines, passengers in Ukraine and 17 other countries will be able to transfer to Emirates airline flights in Dubai quickly and conveniently, the CFTS portal reports.

The code-sharing cooperation will give passengers the opportunity to book tickets for flights operated by both airlines, starting from 29 October 2017. For the convenience of passengers, the carriers have reduced to 120 minutes the minimum connection time between flights from the Dubai Airport’s Terminal 3, where the Emirates airline is based, and Terminal 2, which is the flydubai airline’s base terminal. Passengers’ baggage will be delivered directly to the final destination.

"This is an exciting first step in unlocking the benefits of the partnership for passengers who will have the opportunity to enjoy the unique advantages each airline offers as well as greater choice and flexibility when connecting via Dubai. This is just the start and as we expand the partner network in the coming months we will open up more opportunities for our passengers to explore the world.” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Group and chairman of flydubai.

Throughout the customer journey, Emirates and flydubai will deliver a product experience reflective of their unique brand characteristics. When booked together, as part of the codeshare, Emirates passengers will receive complimentary meals and the Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by flydubai in both Business and Economy Classes. In addition to the Emirates free checked baggage allowance, Skywards Premium members can also enjoy their extra checked baggage allowances of 20 kilograms (Platinum members), 16 kilograms (Gold members), and 12 kilograms (Silver members) on codeshare flights operated by flydubai. Skywards Silver, Gold, and Platinum members traveling on codeshare flights can access flydubai’s Business Check-in counters and receive priority tags.

In addition to the Ukrainian airports of Kyiv Zhulyany and Odesa, the Emirates and flydubai partnership codeshare destinations are Asmara (Eritrea), Belgrade (Serbia), Juba (South Sudan), Krasnodar (Russia), Samara (Russia), Kazan (Russia), Mineralnye Vody (Russia), Prague (Czech Republic), Rostov-on-Don (Russia), Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Skopje (Macedonia), Sofia (Bulgaria), Tbilisi (Georgia), Kuwait (Kuwait), Baku (Azerbaijan), Lucknow (India), Ahwaz (Iran), Bandar Abbas (Iran), Esfahan (Iran), Lar (Iran), Shiraz (Iran), Najaf (Iraq), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Muscat (Oman), Salalah (Oman), Yekaterinburg (Russia), and Bucharest (Romania)

As reported, flydubai and Emirates announced a large-scale partnership in July this year. The two airlines will continue to be based at the Dubai airport. They will maintain their separate management teams but maximize the use of each other's route networks to scale up their operations and ensure growth.