Abu Dhabi, UAE — UAE national carriers continued to expand their destinations for passengers, supported by the UAE’s leading position as a preferred global destination for tourism and business, as well as the recovery in travel demand.
National carriers are expected to continue to fly to new heights of growth in the coming period by adding more destinations to their growing networks, especially in light of expectations of significant growth in passenger traffic through the country’s airports to reach 140 million passengers, according to the General Civil Aviation Authority.
A monitoring conducted by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), based on official data obtained from national carriers, showed that the flights of national carriers reach about 606 destinations around the world, including common destinations and cargo destinations, compared to about 586 destinations at the end of last year 2023, a growth of 3.4 percent.
The national carriers’ destinations currently include more than 144 Emirates destinations, 79 Etihad Airways destinations, 125 flydubai destinations, 218 Air Arabia destinations and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s portfolio includes 40 destinations.
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways has continued to strengthen its network since the beginning of the year, while by 2030 it aims to expand to more than 125 destinations, taking advantage of its strategic geographical location linking Asia and Europe, in addition to increasing the number of guests to more than 33 million passengers annually.
The airline expects to add several new destinations this year after launching 15 new destinations last year, including Lisbon, Copenhagen, Calcutta and Osaka, while recently announcing an increase in flights to Thailand to 41 weekly flights from October, while resuming flights to Nairobi from 15 December.
Etihad Airways successfully carried around 10.4 million passengers in the first seven months of this year, and the number of aircraft it operated reached 93 aircraft at the end of July, compared to 78 aircraft in July 2023, with 10 new destinations added to its network.
During the first half of this year, Etihad Airways recorded a net profit after tax of AED 851 million, a year-on-year growth of 48%, while revenues increased by 21% to AED 11.7 billion.
Emirates currently covers a network of 144 passenger and cargo destinations on six continents and continues to work towards greater seat capacity to meet the growing demand for travel and provide flexibility and options for passengers travelling via Dubai to and from various destinations.
Emirates Airlines
Emirates is preparing to fly its upgraded Boeing 777 aircraft to two new destinations, Zurich and Riyadh, from early October, while plans to add the same aircraft to its operations in Geneva and Brussels. Emirates is completing the upgrade of 80 more Boeing 777 aircraft as part of its more than $3 billion programme to deliver industry-leading services and products and elevate the passenger experience in the skies to unprecedented levels.
flydubai
flydubai flies to 125 destinations in 58 countries across Africa, Central Asia, Central and Southeast Europe, the GCC, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, served by a fleet of 88 Boeing 737 aircraft.
flydubai recently launched scheduled flights to Europe’s Basel-Mulhouse Fribourg Airport, four times a week, becoming the first national airline to operate direct flights from Dubai to the destination, growing its network in Europe to 29 destinations including Budapest, Catania, Krakow, Milan-Bergamo, Prague, Salzburg and Zagreb.
The airline expects to take delivery of seven aircraft by the end of the year and plans to recruit more than 130 new pilots to support network expansion, with Basel, Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius added to its routes.
Arabic Aviation
Arabic Aviation Group has an extensive network connecting 218 destinations from 6 strategic hubs covering 113 destinations in the UAE, in addition to operations in Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan.
During the first half of this year, Arabic Aviation recorded a net profit of AED 693 million 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 seat occupancy during the first half remained high at 81%.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s portfolio includes 40 destinations as it continues to expand its operations to meet rising demand levels by enhancing its modern and sustainable fleet, supporting the airline’s ambitious plans to launch flights to new destinations.