Dubai-based carrier flydubai recorded a 114 per cent jump in passengers carried in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the year-ago period, the airline said on Sunday.
The airline’s growing network and added capacity on its existing routes supported by new aircraft deliveries helped it build on the momentum of a strong 2021 performance.
The carrier ferried 2.35 million passengers between January 1 and March 31 this year, it said.
“Dubai has demonstrated its ability to successfully overcome the various challenges presented by the pandemic and continues to thrive. We have continued our growth in 2022 capitalising on the tremendous results we reported for 2021. We have seen the number of passengers carried in the first quarter of this year more than double compared to the previous couple of years as we welcomed the world during Expo Dubai 2020, connected underserved markets to Dubai and added more frequencies around the network,” said flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith.
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“Our strong business model, supported by our ongoing recruitment drive to grow our workforce in parallel with the scheduled aircraft deliveries this year, will see that we are well placed to accommodate the surge in demand as more people get ready to travel again over the summer.”
Q1 2022 performance
flydubai operated 19,000 flights between January 1 and March 31, and saw an increase in demand for connecting traffic with 43 per cent of passengers connecting on to the carrier’s network compared to 28 per cent for the same period last year.
Aircraft deliveries
The airline has taken delivery of four new aircraft this year, growing its fleet of Boeing 737s to 63 planes. The carrier will take delivery of 18 more aircraft over the next few months, for which financing mandates have been issued. To support this growth trajectory, the airline has also stepped up its recruitment drive across its operations.
Growing network
The airline now serves more than 100 destinations in 50 countries across Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Central and South-East Europe, the GCC and the Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent.
