Flydubai Cancels Baltic Route Launch Due to Boeing Delivery Delays

Dubai-based airline flydubai has announced the cancellation of its planned launches to the Baltic region, attributing the decision to ongoing delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing.

Originally scheduled to commence in October, flydubai’s new routes to the capitals of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have been pulled from the airline’s schedule. The flights to Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius were intended to start on October 11 and 12, with services operating three times per week. However, these services will not proceed as planned due to disruptions in delivery schedules and supply chain issues.

A statement from flydubai, shared with Aviation Week, notes: “The carrier has canceled its upcoming route launches to Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius and is currently unable to confirm new dates for resumption. We are in touch with our customers and travel partners to offer refund or rebooking options.”

Flydubai’s decision follows the airline’s earlier announcement in May about expanding its network, including new routes to EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, which began on August 2. Jeyhun Efendi, flydubai’s senior vice president for commercial operations and e-commerce, had previously highlighted strong demand for the new Baltic routes.

However, Boeing’s delays have significantly impacted flydubai’s expansion strategy. The airline was expecting 14 Boeing 737-8 aircraft in 2024 but confirmed on July 22 that no new aircraft would be delivered for the rest of the year. Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith expressed frustration, stating, “Boeing’s short-noticed and frequent delivery schedule revisions have hindered our strategic growth plans, causing significant disruptions to our published schedules. The reduced capacity will affect both our customers and our financial performance.”

Currently, there are no nonstop flights between Tallinn and Dubai or Vilnius and Dubai. AirBaltic offers three weekly flights between Riga and Dubai using Airbus A220-300 aircraft and plans to resume its seasonal Vilnius-Dubai route in November.