It promised that with partnership network, passengers could reach more global destinations easily, frequently and quickly with the advantage of connecting baggage to the final destination. 

The statement said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of FlyDubai, remarked, “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.

The release mentioned the code share destinations as Asmara (Eritrea), Belgrade (Serbia), Kiev Zhulyany (Ukraine), Juba (South Sudan), Krasnodar (Russia), and Samara (Russia).

The rest are Kazan (Russia), Mineralnye Vody (Russia), Odessa (Ukraine), Prague (Czech Republic), Rostov-on-Don (Russia), Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Skopje (Macedonia) and Sofia (Bulgaria).Others are Tbilisi (Georgia), Kuwait (Kuwait), Baku (Azerbaijan), Lucknow (India), Ahwaz (Iran), Bandar Abbas (Iran), and Esfahan (Iran).

The rest are Lar (Iran), Shiraz (Iran), Najaf (Iraq), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Muscat (Oman), Salalah (Oman), Yekaterinburg (Russia) and Bucharest (Romania).  “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.

The release said throughout the journey, Emirates and FlyDubai would deliver a product experience reflective of their unique brand characteristics to customers. It said when booked together as part of the codeshare, Emirates passengers would receive complimentary meals and the Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by FlyDubai in both Business and Economy Classes.

"Connecting in Dubai’s aviation hub offers a smooth transfer experience, and under the new partnership, passengers would benefit from a reduced minimum connection time (MCT) between Emirates’ home in Terminal 3 and FlyDubai’s in Terminal 2 of 120 minutes,” said the release.

 It said “today’s announcement is an initial phase of the extensive agreement that will, in future phases, see the creation of additional city pair connections as the codeshare agreement was expanded and both airlines’ networks were optimized, it said, adding there would be “more benefits for frequent flyers.”

The release said in this first phase of the partnership, Emirates Skywards members could earn Skywards miles and Skywards Tier Miles on codeshare flights as per the existing Skywards mileage program.

In addition to the Emirates free checked baggage allowance, Skywards Premium members can also enjoy their extra checked baggage allowances of 20kg (Platinum members), 16kg (Gold members) and 12kg (Silver members) on codeshare flights operated by FlyDubai, it said.

Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members travelling on codeshare flights could access FlyDubai’s Business Check-in counters and receive priority tags, the release said.It explained that more benefits for members of each airlines’ frequent flyer and loyalty programs would be announced in due course.