flydubai prepares for a record-breaking summer

flydubai is preparing for a record-breaking summer, building on the momentum from the tremendous performance in the first quarter of 2022 and the surge in demand for travel. The carrier is gearing up to welcome three million passengers over the busiest summer in the airline’s history. Over the summer period, an average of 8,500 departures per month are scheduled across flydubai’s network of 102 destinations, which exceeds pre-pandemic levels. 

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “while the global aviation sector has been slowly recovering from the repercussions of the pandemic, we have seen Dubai steadfast in its approach to enable the return to free flows of trade and tourism. The decisions made early on in the pandemic have enabled us to ramp up our operations to cater to the pent-up demand in record time. This would not have been possible without the hard work of our people, the collaborative approach taken by the key stakeholders in the UAE and the confidence our passengers have in our operations.”

“Our agility and preparedness, strong business model and the scheduled aircraft deliveries this year, will see that we are well placed to overcome the challenges through which we as an industry continue to navigate. We look forward to an exceptional summer of connecting people, opening up underserved markets and providing our customers with more options to travel,” added Al Ghaith.

Returning to a single hub operation

flydubai’s flights to more than 30 destinations, which were temporarily operating out of Dubai World Central (DWC), return to operate from Dubai International (DXB) from 23 June. This follows the successful completion of the 45-day period Northern Runway Rehabilitation programme at DXB. Between 09 May and 22 June, the carrier has minimised disruption to its passengers by operating out of both airports. 

Expanding network and added frequency

An average of 8,500 departures per month are scheduled across flydubai’s network from July to September, this represents an anticipated 43% growth in ASKM* compared to the same period in 2019. Up to three million passengers are expected to fly with the airline across a growing network of 102 destinations. From 23 June onwards, the airline will start flights to 11 destinations including: Abha in Saudi Arabia, Batumi in Georgia, Bodrum, Izmir and Trabzon in Turkey, Catania and Pisa in Italy, Dubrovnik in Croatia, Mykonos and Santorini in Greece and Tivat in Montenegro.

To cater to the increasing demand flydubai will also add frequency on some of its popular routes including Baku, Belgrade, Budapest, Ljubljana, Maldives, Prague, Salzburg, Sarajevo, Tbilisi and Zanzibar. 

Growing fleet and workforce 

flydubai will take delivery of four new aircraft by August 2022, growing its fleet of Boeing 737s to 68 aircraft, an increase of 73% compared to the number of aircraft the carrier operated in the same period in 2019. ​ 

To support this growth trajectory, flydubai has grown its workforce over the past 12 months by 20% which includes pilots, cabin crew and talented professionals from 135 different nationalities. Our recruitment drive will continue throughout the year.

Travel advice for passengers 

With the scale of operations and the expected number of passengers travelling on flydubai via Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 at Dubai International (DXB) this summer, the carrier is rolling out a series of passenger communications to ensure they have a smooth journey. Customers are also reminded to book early and book online.

• Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least 04 hours before the departure time of their flight.
• Boarding gates close 20 minutes before the flight departure time.
• Online check-in opens from 48 hours up to 90 minutes before the flight departure time.
• Passengers are advised to check their baggage allowance before they travel. 
• Passengers are required to make sure that they are up to date with the regulations for their whole journey, and follow the guidance issued by the authorities and the airline. They can visit the COVID-19 information hub on flydubai.com for more information.