Flydubai has affirmed its plans for a highly active summer, emphasizing its commitment to upgrading its aircraft fleet. Additionally, the airline will gradually transition to Al Maktoum International Airport within the next two years.
Flydubai has had consistent growth in passenger numbers since the start of this year, transporting approximately five million passengers from January 1 to April 28, 2024. This is a 13% increase compared to the previous year.
The carrier informed that it has expanded its network of destinations since the start of 2024 to include Mombasa, Langkawi, Penang, Al-Jawf, and the Red Sea. In addition, the company revealed its plans to broaden its European network by initiating flights to Basel, Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius.
Flydubai said that it will expand its network to over 125 locations in 58 countries by adding flights to its summer seasonal destinations from June to October.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, the CEO of Flydubai, expressed satisfaction with the ongoing expansion of the airline's network, particularly in Southeast Asia with the inclusion of Malaysia. He also highlighted the continuous growth in Africa and Europe.
He stated: "Due to the expansion of seat capacity, the quantity of passengers aboard our aircraft has risen since the start of this year." Despite the continuous delays in aircraft delivery, our growth has been reduced. However, we are still on plan for one of the busiest summers ever with the commencement of the summer schedule. The seasonal period will commence in June of the following year. Al Ghaith stated that their primary objective in the coming months is to prioritize the ambitious fleet modernization project. This project aims to enhance the comfort and reliability of the customer experience on board.
The CEO of Flydubai announced that the airline will commence a phased transition to Al Maktoum International Airport within the next two years. The CEO emphasized that this new airport project will significantly affect air traffic in the UAE and the surrounding region, and will play a crucial role in solidifying Dubai's status as a prominent global aviation hub. Regarding aviation transportation.
He stated: "The demand for travel has experienced significant and rapid growth since the start of this year, building upon the carrier's previous year's growth. Flydubai has transported approximately five million passengers in the first four months of this year, reflecting a 13% increase. The growth rates could have been even higher if there hadn't been delays in aircraft delivery from the manufacturer."
Al Ghaith has stated that the airline plans to launch 10 new destinations between June and September 2024, in response to the increased demand for summer travel. It is anticipated that there will be a substantial spike in travel demand during this period.
Furthermore, Flydubai has highlighted that its fleet of aircraft has expanded to a total of 86 Boeing 737 aircraft, with the inclusion of two additional aircraft since the start of 2024.
The fleet of the airline comprises 29 state-of-the-art "Boeing 737-800" aircraft, 54 "Boeing 737 MAX 8" aircraft, and three "Boeing 737 MAX 9" aircraft.
Flydubai has announced the initiation of a project aimed at fully modernizing the interior cabins of the majority of its new generation Boeing aircraft fleet. This modernization project, which comes with a price tag of several million dollars, was commenced in January 2024. As part of the project, eight airplanes have already undergone a complete modernization, including the installation of business class seats that can be converted into beds, as well as new seats in the economy class provided by "Recaro".
All aircraft that have been updated will have an inflight entertainment system installed. This will provide passengers with a more comfortable and dependable travel experience. The company will maintain the same distribution of seats in the full economy class configuration for some of its aircraft. Additionally, the seats in the economy class will be upgraded to "Recaro" seats, which come equipped with an entertainment system. Airborne.
on order to improve the on-board experience, the firm plans to extend the seat pitch on business class seats on certain newer aircraft from 45 to 53 inches. This initiative is scheduled to begin after the summer. The corporation has affirmed its objective to conclude the fleet modernization initiative prior to the conclusion of current year.
