Ghaith Al Ghaith receives the Executive Leadership for the Middle East & Africa accolade at the 2025 Airline Strategy Awards

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 15 July 2025: Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, has been awarded the Executive Leadership for the Middle East & Africa accolade at the 2025 Airline Strategy Awards in London last night.

The Airline Strategy Awards, now in their 21st edition, are globally recognised for celebrating excellence in airline leadership and strategic innovation. Organised by FlightGlobal in partnership with Korn Ferry, the awards are judged by an independent panel of respected industry experts.

This year’s award recognises Ghaith Al Ghaith’s strategic leadership and longstanding contribution to the aviation industry in the Middle East and Africa. Since the airline’s inception in 2008, he has led the transformation of flydubai into one of the region’s most dynamic carriers, building a network of more than 135 destinations across 58 countries, more than 100 of which were underserved markets that previously did not have direct air links to Dubai or were not served by a UAE carrier.

Under Al Ghaith’s leadership, the airline has emerged as a key contributor to the aviation sector, playing a strategic role in supporting Dubai’s ambitious economic vision and its position as a global aviation hub.

Commenting on the award, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “it is an honour to receive this award on behalf of the entire flydubai team, whose hard work and dedication have made this achievement possible. This recognition reflects not only our collective efforts but also the visionary leadership and world-class infrastructure of Dubai and the UAE, which have laid the foundation for innovation, growth and long-term success.”

“Since our launch, our mission has been to enable free flows of trade and tourism and to open up underserved markets. Today, we continue to reach new heights across our fleet, network, workforce and performance. I’m proud of how far we’ve come and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead as we continue to grow and evolve, contributing to Dubai’s aviation hub along the way. It has been an exceptional journey and I look forward to the next chapter in our success story,” added Al Ghaith.

In 2024, flydubai achieved its strongest-ever financial performance, reporting a profit of AED 2.5 billion on revenues of AED 12.8 billion, carrying 15.4 million passengers, an 11% compared to 2023. These results reflect Ghaith’s ability to steer the airline to new heights, navigating challenges such as supply chain disruptions and broader geopolitical tensions, all while maintaining agility, its commitment to operational efficiency and challenging conventions.

He has also led a growing workforce representing more than 140 nationalities, while further investing in the airline’s training programmes and inhouse capabilities. These include the opening of the airline’s new Flight Training centre, the launch of the Ab Initio Pilot Training programme, and the groundbreaking of the Aircraft Maintenance Centre.

flydubai continues to invest in its offering, with a major cabin retrofit across its Boeing 737 fleet and plans to add 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners to support long-term growth. Its growing partnership network of more than 36 interline and codeshare agreements, which includes Emirates, Air Canada and United Airlines, has expanded its global connectivity, with over 22 million passengers benefitting from its partnership with Emirates alone.

Recent enhancements to the passenger experience include its dedicated Business Class check-in area and lounge at Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB), along with its newly refurbished Travel Shop in Dubai and ongoing retrofit programme to refresh its cabins on its fleet of Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft. These ongoing investments demonstrate the airline’s unwavering commitment to innovation and providing an enhanced customer experience.