Emirates: Flydubai has celebrated its inaugural service to AlUla, becoming the first national carrier of the UAE to operate flights from Dubai.

The inaugural flight arrived at AlUla International Airport (ULH) on Wednesday and was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute, marking the start of a twice-weekly service.

On board the inaugural flight was a senior delegation led by Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive officer at flydubai, members of the Royal Commission for AlUla, as well as representatives from the UAE media.

Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “We are delighted to see the first flydubai flight land in AlUla today and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the authorities and the Royal Commission for AlUla for their support. The launch of operations to AlUla reflects our commitment to strengthening the cultural, trade and tourism ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia and opening up new markets to more passengers.”

Phillip J. Jones, chief destination management and marketing officer at The Royal Commission for AlUla, said: “As AlUla continues to attract more visitors from around the globe, we are thrilled to have flydubai offer year-round direct flights from Dubai. The new twice-weekly flights will facilitate not only the movement of visitors from the important UAE market, but from throughout flydubai's extensive international network into AlUla."

He said there is no other destination that equals AlUla for fascinating ancient history, heritage and culture combined with high-end luxury settings and experiences — and now increasingly more easily accessible for both leisure and business visitors.

"We still have five exciting weeks to go of our AlUla Moments events calendar and we warmly invite flydubai customers to visit to enjoy our concerts, festivals and events,” he said.

AlUla is an unseen wonder of the world that is located close to Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage site, Hegra, which opened to global travellers for the first time in 2020. At Hegra, visitors can explore the remains of a remarkable historical and archaeological site.

With the addition of AlUla, flydubai’s network in Saudi Arabia has now grown to six destinations including Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh and Yanbu.

In addition, passengers have the option to choose full packages from Holidays by flydubai with affordable travel packages to AlUla, starting at Dh1,899. Package prices include Economy Class return flights and accommodation for three nights per person based on two adults sharing a room, including tax (room only).

Travellers can customise their travel packages and add optional extras such as travel insurance, airport transfers or sightseeing tours.

Flydubai’s passenger experience has been redesigned to enable travel in a safe environment that minimises crew and passenger contact and offers passengers confidence to travel at every step of their journey. Customers who book a flight through flydubai.com will receive complimentary global cover for Covid-19 related costs to offer greater peace of mind when travelling.

Passengers are required to make sure that they are up to date with the regulations from the Iata Travel Centre and the Iata destination tracker for their whole journey, and follow the guidance issued by the authorities and the airline. They can also visit the Covid-19 information hub on flydubai.com for more information.

Complimentary Season Pass to visit Expo 2020

Passengers booking a flydubai flight to Dubai will enjoy a complimentary Season Pass to visit Expo 2020 Dubai until March 31 2022. The initiative is valid for all bookings made from January 2020 for travel during the event dates.

Flight details

Flights from Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) to AlUla International Airport (ULH) will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Return Business Class fares from DXB to ULH start from Dh3,500 and Economy Class Lite fares start from Dh1,050. Return Business Class fares from ULH to DXB start from SR3,500 and Economy Class Lite fares start from SR1,050.