National carriers continued to expand their destinations for travelers, supported by the UAE’s leading position as a preferred global destination for tourism and business, as well as the recovery in travel demand, reflecting the strength and competitiveness of UAE airlines and their success in gaining great international confidence.
National carriers are expected to continue to soar to new horizons of growth in the coming period by adding more destinations to their growing networks, especially in light of expectations of a tangible growth in passenger traffic through the country’s airports to reach 140 million passengers, according to the General Civil Aviation Authority.
Based on official data from national carriers, national carriers’ flights reach about 606 destinations around the world, including joint destinations and cargo destinations, compared to about 586 destinations at the end of last year 2023, with a growth rate of 3.4%.
The national carriers’ destinations currently include more than 144 destinations for Emirates Airlines, 79 destinations for Etihad Airways, 125 destinations for Flydubai, and about 218 destinations for Air Arabia, while the “Wizz Air Abu Dhabi” portfolio includes about 40 destinations.
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways has continued to strengthen its network of destinations since the beginning of this year, while it aspires by 2030 to expand to more than 125 destinations, benefiting from its strategic geographical location linking Asia and Europe, in addition to increasing the number of guests to more than 33 million passengers annually.
The carrier expects to add several new destinations this year after launching 15 new destinations last year, including Lisbon, Copenhagen, Kolkata and Osaka. It recently announced an increase in its flights to Thailand to 41 flights per week starting next October, while resuming flights to Nairobi starting from December 15.
Etihad Airways succeeded in transporting about 10.4 million passengers during the first seven months of this year, and the number of aircraft it operates reached 93 aircraft at the end of last July, compared to 78 aircraft in July 2023, with the addition of 10 new destinations to its network.
Etihad Airways recorded net profits after tax of AED 851 million during the first half of this year, an annual growth of 48%, while revenues increased by 21% to AED 11.7 billion.
Emirates currently covers a wide network of 144 passenger and cargo destinations across six continents, and continues to work on providing greater seat capacity to meet the growing demand for travel and provide flexibility and options for passengers travelling through Dubai to and from various destinations.
Emirates Airlines
Emirates is preparing to operate its updated Boeing 777 aircraft to two new destinations, Zurich and Riyadh, starting from early October, while it plans to add the same aircraft to its operations in Geneva and Brussels. Emirates is completing the modernization of another 80 Boeing 777 aircraft, as part of its program that has investments exceeding $3 billion, to provide the best services and products in the industry and raise the passenger experience in the air to unprecedented levels.
– Fly Dubai
flydubai flies to 125 destinations in 58 countries across Africa, Central Asia, Central and South-Eastern Europe, the GCC, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, served by a fleet of 88 Boeing 737 aircraft.
flydubai recently launched regular flights to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport, with four flights a week, becoming the first national airline to operate direct flights from Dubai to this destination, thus growing its network in Europe to 29 destinations, including Budapest, Catania, Krakow, Milan-Bergamo, Prague, Salzburg and Zagreb.
The carrier expects to receive seven aircraft by the end of this year, while planning to hire more than 130 new pilots to support its network expansion, with the addition of Basel, Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius to its destinations.
– Air Arabia
Air Arabia Group has an extensive network connecting around 218 destinations from 6 strategic hubs, including 113 destinations from the UAE, in addition to its hubs in Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan.
Air Arabia recorded a net profit of AED 693 million during the first half of this year, and served more than 8.9 million passengers from January to June 2024 from all its operational hubs, an increase of 16% compared to the same period last year, while the seat occupancy rate during the first half maintained a high rate of 81%.
– “Wizz Air Abu Dhabi”
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s portfolio includes 40 destinations as it continues to expand its operations to meet growing demand, by enhancing its modern and sustainable fleet, supporting the company’s ambitious plans to launch flights to new destinations.
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