UAE national carriers fly to 606 destinations due to growing travel demand

UAE National Carriers Expand Global Reach, Now Serve 606 Destinations Worldwide

In a major development, the national carriers of the United Arab Emirates, Emirates and Etihad Airways, have significantly expanded their global network and now serve a total of 606 destinations worldwide.

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) projects passenger traffic to reach 140 million. The objective is driven by the country’s strong global tourism and business reputation and resurgence in travel demand.

The national carriers of the UAE now serve 606 destinations worldwide, including joint and cargo routes, an increase of 3.4 percent from 586 destinations served by the end of 2023.

Global expansion of UAE national carriers: Emirates with more than 144 seats, Etihad Airways with 79 seats, Flydubai with 125 seats, Air Arabia with 218 seats and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi with 40 seats, Emirates News Agency reported.

Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways in particular is expanding its route network to reach 125 destinations by 2030. The airline aims to improve its strategic location between Asia and Europe and increase its annual passenger numbers to 33 million.

The airline expects to introduce several new destinations this year after launching 15 new routes last year, including Lisbon, Copenhagen, Calcutta and Osaka.

In addition, Etihad will increase flights to Thailand to 41 per week starting in October and will resume flights to Nairobi on December 15.

Emirates Airlines
Emirates Airlines is set to operate its upgraded Boeing 777 aircraft to Zurich and Riyadh in early October, and will add the same aircraft to its operations in Geneva and Brussels.

Emirates is completing a USD 3 billion modernization of 80 Boeing 777 aircraft to deliver industry-leading products and services and elevate the passenger experience to an unprecedented level.

Flydubai

Flydubai has 88 Boeing 737 aircraft serving 125 destinations in 58 countries across Africa, Central Asia, Central and Southeast Europe, the GCC, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

flydubai recently launched regular flights four times a week to EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, becoming the first national airline to operate direct flights from Dubai to the destination, expanding 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 this year and plans to hire more than 130 new pilots to support its network expansion.

Air Arabia
Air Arabia Group operates an extensive network with 218 destinations across six strategic hubs, including the United Arab Emirates and 113 in Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan.

In the first half of 2024, the airline recorded a net profit of AED 693 million and served 8.9 million passengers, representing a 16 percent increase over the previous year.

The number of seats remained strong at 81 per cent.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has a portfolio of 40 destinations and continues to expand its operations to meet growing demand with a modern and stable fleet, supporting the airline’s ambitious plans to launch flights to new destinations.