Dubai's budget carrier flydubai said it will start two weekly flights to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg starting from October 16 as part of its plan 'to offer new and interesting destinations' to customers.

Yekaterinburg, formerly known as Sverdlovsk, is located to the east of the Ural Mountains and is the administrative centre of the Sverdlovsk Oblast region, said a statement from the flydubai.

The airline will fly on Wednesdays and Saturdays to Yekaterinburg with flight FZ901 departing Dubai at 9am and arriving in Russia at 04.15pm (local time). The return flight FZ902 will take off from Yekaterinburg at 05.15pm and land in Dubai at 8.30pm.

The Dubai flights have been priced at Dh1150 ($313), while the ticket prices from Yekaterinburg start from $400, the company said.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, said: “Staying true to flydubai’s promise to offer new and interesting destinations, Yekaterinburg has much to attract both business and leisure travellers.'

'One of Russia’s largest cities, Yekaterinburg has a unique architectural flavour, featuring more than 600 monuments. Today, the city is a hub for heavy industry, as well as a key centre for business and finance,' he added.

Al Ghaith said trade between Russia and the UAE has grown considerably in recent years and the addition of a direct air link with the commercially important city of Yekaterinburg will help strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

“Yekaterinburg has a special place in Russian history but is also very forward looking. Visitors to the city will be sure to experience a taste of the rich culture of this fascinating country, both past and present,” he added.

The city is perhaps most associated with the doomed Romanov imperial dynasty and the Russian Revolution.

Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and children, were executed by Bolsheviks at Yekaterinburg’s Ipatiev House, the home of a leading merchant family, in July 1918.

The site is now commemorated by the impressive monument, the Church on Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land.

Home to the prestigious Ural State University, Yekaterinburg is an important stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway and boasts the tallest building in Russia outside Moscow, the Antey III tower.-TradeArabia News Service