UAE airlines now fly to over 600 destinations

The UAE’s airlines are significantly expanding their global footprint, fuelled by the country’s robust tourism and business sectors and the resurgence in travel demand.

Official figures reveal that UAE carriers now operate to approximately 606 destinations worldwide, including passenger, joint, and cargo routes.

Furthermore, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) forecasts passenger traffic to hit 140 million, state news agency, WAM reported.

This represents a 3.4 per cent increase from the 586 destinations recorded at the close of 2023.

The  ‘destinations’ breakdown of the airlines is as follows: Emirates serves over 144 destinations, Etihad Airways covers 79, flydubai operates to 125, Air Arabia reaches 218 destinations, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi connects to 40 destinations, the report from WAM shared.

UAE airlines: Passenger and destination targets

Etihad Airways has been notably active in broadening its route network, targeting 125 destinations by 2030.

The airline plans to capitalise on its strategic location between Asia and Europe, aiming to boost its annual passenger volume to 33 million.

This year, Etihad has introduced several new destinations and expanded its flight frequencies, including a significant increase in services to Thailand and a resumption of flights to Nairobi.

In the first seven months of 2024, Etihad Airways carried 10.4 million passengers and expanded its fleet to 93 aircraft, up from 78 in July 2023.

The airline reported a net profit of Dhs851m in H1 2024,  a 48 per cent year-on-year increase, with revenues climbing 21 per cent to Dhs11.7bn.

Emirates, with its network spanning 144 destinations across six continents, continues to enhance seat capacity to accommodate growing demand. The airline is also in the process of modernising 80 Boeing 777 aircraft as part of a $3bn investment to elevate passenger experience.

flydubai operates to 125 destinations in 58 countries, including recent additions like EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg.

Read: flydubai launches direct flights to Basel

The airline plans to expand its fleet with seven new aircraft by year-end and hire over 130 new pilots to support its network growth, including new routes to Basel, Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius.

Air Arabia Group, which operates from six hubs, including 113 from the UAE, reported a net profit of Dhs693m in H1 2024. The airline served 8.9 million passengers, marking a 16 per cent increase year-on-year, with a strong seat occupancy rate of 81 per cent.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, with a portfolio of 40 destinations, is expanding its operations with a modern fleet to meet increasing demand and support its ambitious growth plans.

Additionally, the UAE has secured a leading position in global civil aviation competitiveness, according to the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024.

According to the rankings published in June, the UAE ranked first worldwide in the ‘Quality of Air Transport Infrastructure’ indicator and 3rd globally in both the ‘Efficiency of Air Transport Services’ and ‘Available Airline Seat Kilometres – millions/week’ metrics.

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the UAE also leads in the ‘Number of Operating Airlines’ and ‘Air Transport Agreements’ indicators.

Additionally, the UAE earned top global recognition in the ‘Quality of Air Transport’ category in the International Institute for Management Development’s Global Competitiveness Report 2023.