Budget airline Flydubai began flights to Ahmedabad on 27 August, its third route to India.

Flydubai now has a network of 39 destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

“I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the Indian authorities,” says Ghaith al-Ghaith, chief executive officer of Flydubai.“Thanks to their strong support, the UAE is now connected to a city that is witnessing incredible infrastructure growth, which in turn has led to a population increase. As a rising centre of education, information technology and scientific industries, Ahmedabad remains the cultural and commercial heart of Gujarat and much of western India and as a result we expect this route to prove very popular.”

Ahmedabad has a population of about four million people and is an industrial centre, especially in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.