ABU DHABI, 25th August, 2024 (WAM) — The UAE’s national airlines are expanding their flight destinations, driven by the country’s strong reputation in global tourism and business, as well as resurgent travel demand. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) forecasts passenger traffic to reach 140 million, reflecting the continued growth and competitiveness of the UAE’s airlines.
According to official data, the UAE’s national carriers now serve about 606 destinations worldwide, including collective and cargo routes, an increase of 3.4 percent from the 586 destinations served at the end of 2023. The breakdown of destinations by airline is as follows: Emirates with over 144 destinations, Etihad Airways with 79 destinations, flydubai with 125 destinations, Air Arabia with 218 destinations and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi with 40 destinations.
Etihad Airways, in particular, is expanding its route network with the aim of serving 125 destinations by 2030. The airline wants to take advantage of its strategic location between Asia and Europe and increase its annual passenger numbers to 33 million.
Etihad Airways has been expanding its network since the beginning of this year and plans to expand to over 125 destinations by 2030. This expansion strategy takes advantage of its strategic location between Asia and Europe and aims to increase annual passenger numbers to over 33 million. The airline expects to launch several new destinations this year after opening 15 new routes last year, including Lisbon, Copenhagen, Kolkata and Osaka. In addition, Etihad will increase its flights to Thailand to 41 per week from October and will resume flights to Nairobi on December 15.
In the first seven months of 2024, Etihad Airways carried 10.4 million passengers and expanded its fleet to 93 aircraft by the end of July, compared to 78 aircraft in July 2023. The airline also added 10 new destinations to its network this year. In the first half of 2024, Etihad reported a net profit after tax of AED 851 million, an increase of 48 percent year-on-year, with revenue increasing 21 percent to AED 11.7 billion.
Emirates currently operates a network covering 144 passenger and cargo destinations across six continents and is continuously working to increase seat capacity to meet growing travel demand and offer flexibility and choice to travellers transiting via Dubai.
Emirates Airlines
Emirates Airlines will begin flying to Zurich and Riyadh in early October with upgraded Boeing 777 aircraft and will also operate the same aircraft in Geneva and Brussels. Emirates is completing the upgrade of 80 more Boeing 777 aircraft as part of its over $3 billion program to deliver the industry’s best products and services and elevate the passenger experience in the skies to unprecedented levels.
Flight Dubai
flydubai flies to 125 destinations in 58 countries in Africa, Central Asia, Central and Southeastern Europe, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and has a fleet of 88 Boeing 737 aircraft.
flydubai recently launched four scheduled flights a week to EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, making it the first national airline to offer direct flights from Dubai to this destination, expanding its network in Europe to 29 destinations, including Budapest, Catania, Krakow, Milan-Bergamo, Prague, Salzburg and Zagreb.
The airline expects to deliver seven aircraft by the end of the year and plans to hire more than 130 new pilots to support the expansion of its network and add Basel, Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius to its route network.
Air Arabia
The Air Arabia Group operates an extensive network with 218 destinations across six strategic hubs, including 113 in the United Arab Emirates and locations in Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan. In the first half of 2024, the airline reported a net profit of AED 693 million and carried 8.9 million passengers, an increase of 16 percent year-on-year. Seat load factor remained strong at 81 percent.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has a portfolio of 40 destinations and continues to expand its operations to meet increasing demand with a modern and sustainable fleet and support the airline’s ambitious plans to launch flights to new destinations.
