Dubai-based flydubai has announced the addition of three new east African routes, bringing the total number of destinations in the carrier’s network to 80. With the launch of flights in September to Bujumbura in Burundi, Entebbe in Uganda and Kigali in Rwanda, flydubai will fly to nine destinations in Africa.

Ghaith Al-Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of three new east African destinations, which also sees flydubai become the first national carrier from the UAE to fly to Rwanda and Burundi, underlining our commitment to opening up underserved markets.”

flydubai’s operation to these emerging markets will provide passengers with a reliable, direct and high-quality service. Business Class, which is made available for the first time between Dubai and Burundi, will give passengers traveling to these new destinations a more comfortable and personalized travel experience.

“We have announced 17 new destinations since the start of 2014, matching the total number of destinations flydubai launched last year. We look forward to continuing to expand our network as we remain committed to supporting Dubai’s trade and tourism sectors,” Al-Ghaith added.

In addition to operating between Dubai and these three new cities, flydubai has obtained the rights to carry passengers between Uganda and Burundi.

Rwanda and Burundi are home to some of the most biodiverse places. Filled with numerous volcanoes, nature reserves and the second deepest lake in the world, the two countries also have one-third of the world’s remaining Mountain Gorillas and one-third of Africa’s bird species.

While tourism is the largest contributor to Rwanda and Burundi’s economies, Uganda is considered one of Africa’s most progressive economies and is emerging as one of the major commercial canters within Africa, with flydubai currently operating flights to Alexandria, Khartoum, Port Sudan, Juba, Addis Ababa and Djibouti.