In brief
Air Arabia announced it will launch a second daily flight from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport to Sharjah International Airport on 12 December 2026. The new service will depart at 15:20 Moscow time and will run alongside the existing G9 806 flight. The expansion is aimed at boosting connectivity to a range of destinations via Sharjah, including the Maldives, Phuket, Colombo, Bangkok, Jeddah, Medina and Dhaka.
Air Arabia announced that, effective 12 December 2026, it will operate two daily flights between Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport and Sharjah International Airport, adding a new service (G9 951) that departs at 15:20 Moscow time at 14:20 Sharjah time. The airline’s existing G9 806 flight will remain at 22:55 Moscow/18:50 Sharjah.
The new flight, G9 951, will depart in the afternoon from Domodedovo on an Airbus A320neo configured with a single‑class cabin seating 174 passengers. The estimated flight time to Sharjah is five hours and 40 minutes. The flight will be operated again in the evening, taking evening passengers to Dubai’s short‑haul hubs and onward destinations.
Air Arabia’s press service said that the extra daily service will enhance travel opportunities via Sharjah to a portfolio of popular leisure and business destinations. The airline highlighted the Maldives, Phuket, Colombo, Bangkok, Jeddah, Medina and Dhaka as key onward destinations that will benefit from the increased flight frequency.
“Adding a second daily flight will provide additional flexibility for passengers traveling from Moscow to the United Arab Emirates, and onward to the region’s major hubs,” the press statement said. The declaration underscored the airline’s growing footprint in the Middle East and its strategy of _creating more direct connections for Russian passengers_ seeking to expand their travel options.
Domodedovo Airport’s press service has also noted that the airline will continue the G9 806 flight, which departs evenings from Moscow at 10:55 p.m. Moscow time and arrives in Sharjah at 6:50 a.m. local time. That service will remain an integral part of the Air Arabia schedule until further notice.
Observers in aviation news circles have pointed out that the increase in flights from Russia to the UAE comes amid a broader climate of mixed traffic realities in the region. The Gulf News website has reported frequent cancellations and delays on Saudi routes, advising passengers to check flight status before heading to the airport. The increased schedule will therefore be carried out against a backdrop of fluctuating air traffic conditions in the MENA region.
Airports and airlines in the region have implemented new procedures to counter this volatility, but the actual impact on the new Domodedovo‑Sharjah services remains to be seen. Flights may be subject to similar disruptions, or they could benefit from improved coordination between Russian and UAE aviation authorities.
In terms of commercial strategy, Air Arabia’s move signals a continued focus on Russia as a source market. By adding a second daily flight, the airline is positioning itself to capture more of the growing demand for travel between Russia and the Middle East, especially given the post‑COVID surge in tourism to key destinations like the Maldives, Phuket and the UAE itself.
Passengers who wish to take advantage of the new schedule will find that Ryanair, other European carriers and local airlines had not announced any similar increase in daily services from Domodedovo to Sharjah. The added flight will therefore give travelers more options when planning onward journeys and transfers into the wider Middle Eastern and South Asian network.
