UAE’s flydubai records 50% rise in passengers in Q1 2023

Dubai-based flydubai transported more than 3.37 million passengers between January 1 and March 31 this year – an increase of 50 per cent compared to the same period in 2022.

The carrier plans to ramp up operations for the busy summer travel period between July 1 and September 30, increasing its capacity by 20 per cent across the network.

flydubai has expanded its network since the start of the year, commencing services to St Petersburg in Russia, Pattaya and Krabi in Thailand, Al Qaisumah, Al Ula, Gizan, Nejran and Neom in Saudi Arabia, Shymkent in Kazakhstan, Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, Mogadishu in Somalia and Milan-Bergamo in Italy.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive officer at flydubai, said: “We continue to grow our network, launching operations to new underserved routes and adding capacity on existing routes. We have seen a very strong performance since the start of the year, which is a clear reflection of Dubai’s position as a global hub for trade and travel and resilience in the face of economic challenges.

“flydubai’s role in supporting the growing economy and strengthening air links to the UAE and Dubai continues to grow as we take delivery of more aircraft, create more job opportunities and contribute to Dubai International’s position as the world’s busiest airport for international passengers for years to come.

“We look forward to our busiest summer on record yet with added capacity and new routes joining the network from June, we are well positioned to cater to the surge in demand for travel and are committed to offering our passengers more options and reliable services. We also expect good inbound traffic to Dubai as our city has long moved away from its seasonal offering to being an attractive year-round destination.

Strong fleet performance

flydubai operated more than 25,800 flights between January 1 and March 31.

 flydubai will grow its capacity across the network by 20 per cent between July 1 and September 30, compared to the same period in 2022.

 The airline increased its fleet of Boeing 737s to 76 aircraft, serving its network with two more aircraft entering service in May.

flydubai has also commenced a recruitment drive to hire pilots, cabin crew, and other positions across its operations to boost its growth plans

 flydubai is committed to growing its network

flydubai has built an expanding network of 120 destinations in 52 countries, more than 75 of these routes did not previously have direct air links to Dubai or were not served by a UAE national carrier from Dubai.

 Hamad Obaidalla, chief commercial officer at flydubai, said: “We are pleased to see our operations reach new heights with nine destinations joining our network this summer. This includes popular destinations such as Bodrum, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, Santorini and Tivat as well as new destinations including Corfu in Greece and Cagliari in Sicily.

“We will also increase the flight frequency on a number of routes including Krabi, Milan-Bergamo, Pattaya and Pisa to name a few which have proven very popular for travellers from the UAE and across our network. Passengers continue to enjoy seamless connections on the flydubai network or through our codeshare partnership with Emirates whether they are travelling in business or economy.“

Expansion of services in the summer

flydubai will expand its network in Italy to five points with the launch of flights to Cagliari on June 22, serving Catania (CTA), Cagliari (CAG), Naples (NAP), Milan-Bergamo (BGY) and Pisa (PSA) with 24 weekly flights.

•  NAP will have from four to seven flights a week from June 19 and continue after summer as a daily operation
• PSA will have from three to four flights per week from June 20
• BGY has already increased from five flights a week to a daily service since April

The carrier will also double its operation to Krabi and Pattaya in Thailand to a double daily service from October 13. flydubai has seen demand rise for connecting travel to Thailand from Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Moscow, Tel Aviv, Warsaw and across the GCC.

Read: Flydubai reports 43% rise in profit for 2022