Flydubai ups capacity by 33% as 4.5m expected to travel

• Average 9,400 flights scheduled per month

UAE carrier Flydubai has increased its seat capacity across its network by 33 percent year-on-year between June 1 and September 30, 2023, due to growing travel demand.

The airline expects more than 4.5 million passengers to travel during the four months, state-owned Wam news agency reported.

An average of 9,400 flights per month are scheduled between June 1 and September 30, with August being the busiest month.

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The low-cost carrier will connect to 117 destinations across 52 countries this summer and start operating to nine seasonal summer destinations beginning June 21.

Due to the upcoming Eid Al-Adha holidays, capacity has been increased by 20 percent on select destinations across its network to meet the surge in demand between June 24 and July 2. The destinations include Baku, Beirut, Colombo, Male, Tbilisi, Yerevan and Zanzibar.

Flydubai has grown its European network to 28 cities, including destinations in Italy, Belgrade, Budapest, Prague, Salzburg, Warsaw and Zagreb.

The airline has taken delivery of seven new aircraft since the start of 2023, growing its fleet of Boeing 737s to 79 aircraft, an increase of 23 percent year-on-year.

Over the last six months, the carrier has increased its workforce by adding 560 new pilots, cabin crew and other staff from 138 nationalities.

In March, Flydubai reported profits of AED1.2 billion ($327 million) in 2022, an increase of 43 percent compared to the previous year.

Annual revenue reached $2.5 billion, up from $1.4 billion. Flydubai carried 10.6 million passengers, an increase of 89 percent.

CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith described 2022 as an “exceptional year”, with accelerated demand bookended by the final few months of Expo 2020 and the efforts to support travel to and from the football World Cup in Doha.