Watch: Budget airline flydubai’s passenger numbers back to 2019 levels

Dubai: Dubai Government owned airline flydubai’s revenues and passenger numbers are back to 2019 levels as more routes are re-connected, says its CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith.

“We are definitely now on track to be even more successful,” said Ghaith on the sidelines of the Dubai Air Show. flydubai, which reached an agreement with Boeing to cut its 737 MAX aircraft order by 65, said its current fleet orders would be enough to support the airline’s growth.

“We have plenty of aircraft - from June 2021 until end of next year, we are taking about 33 new aircraft,” said Al Ghaith. “We can sustain our growth for the near future with the orders we have.”

Dubai’s tourist inflows

Dubai, which re-opened to tourism as early as July 2020, has been pulling visitors for the Expo. “The main driver (of flydubai’s traffic) is that Dubai is open for business now and fully recovered as a tourist and business destination,” said Al Ghaith. “We have seen a bounce back in traffic at levels flydubai has never seen before.”

2022 expectations

The flydubai chief is optimistic about more destinations opening up in the coming year. The budget carrier launched 22 new destinations in 2021 and plans to add more routes.

“Some of them (routes) were seasonal, we’ll bring them back next summer,” said Al Ghaith. “On routes still closed, I think by the next summer, all the restrictions will be reduced if not abolished altogether. That’s why, we believe the growth that we currently see will continue to next year.”

Competition heats up

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, UAE’s newest airline, has been launching new routes and offering steep discounts to passengers. “Since inception, we must have added 76 destinations to and from Dubai that were not flown before (and) that’s what helped us to grow and also the market to grow – every time there is more competition, it is good for the market,” said Al Ghaith.

Great opportunity

The Dubai Air Show has seen thousands of industry executives, leaders and defense officials gather for the biggest aviation event of the year. “The show is a fantastic opportunity for us to interact with the highest level of governments across the world and the most talented people in our industry, exchange views and understand all the new technology,” said Al Ghaith. “It is the first major show of its kind, after the pandemic, and it is amazing to have it here in the UAE. It is a proof that the country is back on track and trusted by everybody else.”