flydubai records growth in passenger numbers for the first quarter of 2023 and ramps up operations for the summer

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 02 May 2023: Dubai-based flydubai records another exceptional first quarter carrying more than 3.37 million passengers between 01 January and 31 March 2023, an increase of 50% compared to the same period in 2022. The carrier plans to ramp up operations for the busy summer travel period between 01 July and 30 September, increasing its capacity by 20% across the network.

Since the start of 2023, flydubai has further expanded its network with the start of operations to St Petersburg in Russia, Pattaya and Krabi in Thailand, Al Qaisumah, Al Ula, Gizan, Nejran and Neom in Saudi Arabia, Shymkent in Kazakhstan, Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, Mogadishu in Somalia and Milan-Bergamo in Italy.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “we continue to grow our network, launching operations to new underserved routes and adding capacity on existing routes. We have seen a very strong performance since the start of the year, which is a clear reflection of Dubai's position as a global hub for trade and travel and resilience in the face of economic challenges. flydubai’s role in supporting the growing economy and strengthening airlinks to the UAE and Dubai continues to grow as we take delivery of more aircraft, create more job opportunities and contribute to Dubai International’s (DXB) position as the world’s busiest airport for international passengers for years to come.”

“We look forward to our busiest summer on record yet with added capacity and new routes joining the network from June, we are well positioned to cater to the surge in demand for travel and are committed to offering our passengers more options and reliable services. We also expect good inbound traffic to Dubai as our city has long moved away from its seasonal offering to being an attractive year-round destination,” added Al Ghaith.

Strong performance and growing fleet

flydubai operated more than 25,800 flights between 01 January and 31 March 2023 and carried 3.37 million passengers, an increase of 50% in passenger numbers compared to 2022.

flydubai will grow its capacity across the network by 20% between 01 July and 30 September 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.

flydubai has grown its fleet of Boeing 737s to 76 aircraft serving its expanding network with two more aircraft entering service later in May. To support this growth trajectory, flydubai is currently undergoing a recruitment drive to add more talented professionals to its workforce and this includes pilots, cabin crew and various positions across the business.

Growing network

flydubai has built an expanding network of 120 destinations in 52 countries, more than 75 of these routes did not previously have direct air links to Dubai or were not served by a UAE national carrier from Dubai.

Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said: “we are pleased to see our operations reach new heights with nine destinations joining our network this summer. This includes popular destinations such as Bodrum, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, Santorini and Tivat as well as new destinations including Corfu in Greece and Cagliari in Sicily. We will also increase the flight frequency on a number of routes including Krabi, Milan-Bergamo, Pattaya and Pisa to name a few which have proven very popular for travellers from the UAE and across our network. Passengers continue to enjoy seamless connections on the flydubai network or through our codeshare partnership with Emirates whether they are travelling in business or economy.”

flydubai grows its network in Italy to five points with the launch of flights to Cagliari on 22 June 2023, serving Catania (CTA), Cagliari (CAG), Naples (NAP), Milan-Bergamo (BGY) and Pisa (PSA) with 24 weekly flights. ​

• NAP from four to seven flights a week from 19 June and to continue after summer as a daily operation
• PSA from three to four flights per week from 20 June
• BGY has already increased from five flights a week to a daily service since April

flydubai will double its operation to Krabi and Pattaya in Thailand to a double daily service from 13 October 2023. The carrier has seen growing demand for connecting travel to Thailand from Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Moscow, Tel Aviv, Warsaw as well as from across the GCC.

Flight details for the nine destinations starting from 21 June 2023:

For the full timetable, please visit: https://www.flydubai.com/en/plan/timetable

To know about Holidays by flydubai, please visit: https://holidays.flydubai.com/en/

Flights are available to book on flydubai.com, the official flydubai App, the Contact Centre in Dubai on (+971) 600 54 44 45, the flydubai travel shops or through our travel partners.