Dubai-based carrier flydubai will launch a daily service to Langkawi and Penang in Malaysia beginning next year.
Flights from Dubai’s Terminal 3 to Penang International airport (PEN) and Langkawi International airport (LGK) will start from February 10, 2024. Its services to Langkawi will operate via a short stop in Penang.
The carrier will therefore become the first to connect those destinations with flights from the UAE and also the first to operate flights to Langkawi from the Middle East.
The schedule of the services is below:
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | Departure Time | Arrival Time |
| FZ 1603 | DXB | PEN | 04:10 | 15:05 |
| FZ 1603 | PEN | LGK | 16:05 | 16:45 |
| FZ 1604 | LGK | PEN | 19:45 | 20:45 |
| FZ 1604 | PEN | DXB | 21:45 | 01:05 |
With the launch of services to Langkawi and Penang, flydubai’s footprint in Southeast Asia expands to four destinations including its operations to Krabi and Pattaya in Thailand.
The carrier will deploy its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on the Malaysian routes which will include lie-flat seats in business class in addition to economy class seats.
“We are pleased to see our presence in Southeast Asia grow with the launch of operations to Langkawi and Penang. Flights from the UAE to these popular holiday destinations are vital for tourism and business connectivity. These destinations in Malaysia offer cultural diversity, leisure activities and investment opportunities. Our new flights will be popular for passengers not only from the UAE, but from the GCC and the European markets as well,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive officer at flydubai.
Flydubai recently announced the launch of operations to three other new destinations. It will start daily service to Cairo from October 28, to Poznan in Poland from October 29 and to Mombasa from January 17, 2024.
Although flydubai carrier more than four million passengers between June and mid-September 2023, an increase of 30 per cent compared to the same period in 2022, Al Ghaith said that the operations of the airline would have been better had its aircraft been delivered on schedule. He cited global supply chain issues as one of the reasons for the delayed delivery of aircraft. Flydubai currently operates a fleet of 78 Boeing 737s. It also signed an agreement to lease four Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft between October 17, 2023, and April 16, 2024, to mitigate the situation arising from the delays in its aircraft deliveries.
