Dubai Aviation Corporation, doing business as flydubai , is an Emirati government-owned airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The airline mainly operates out of Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport, though some flights fly out from Terminal 3. The airline operates a total of 131 destinations, serving the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe from Dubai. The company slogan is “Get Going”.
History
Foundation and early years
In July 2008, the Dubai government established the airline.[3] Although flydubai is not part of The Emirates Group, Emirates supported flydubai during the initial establishing phase.[4]
On 14 July 2008, flydubai signed a firm order with Boeing at the Farnborough Air Show for 50 Boeing 737-800s with a total value of US$3.74 billion, with the option to change the order to the larger and longer range Boeing 737-900ER, according to the airline's demand. The first of these aircraft was delivered on 17 May 2009.[5] Scheduled flights commenced on 1 June, with services to Beirut, Lebanon, and Amman, Jordan. Since then, the route network has significantly expanded.
Development since 2015
On 13 February 2013, flydubai announced that it was in talks with Boeing and Airbus for a 50-aircraft order.[6][7] On 19 June 2013, the airline announced that it would be adding business class service to its flights.[8] The business class cabin would feature 12 seats between aisle and window, three-course meals, 12-inch televisions, a business class lounge, Italian leather seats to its offering in a bid to cater to business travellers in the emirate, access to more than 200 films, and power outlets suitable for plugs from over 170 countries.[9][10]
In March 2019, flydubai suffered considerable losses due to the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft around the world. The state-owned company claims that its growth strategy was severely impacted by the incident, as it had 11 of these aircraft and more than 220 on order.
Corporate affairs
Business trends
The key trends for flydubai are shown below (as at year ending 31 December):[14]
Reports released on May 2, 2021, revealed that flydubai incurred losses of US$194 million in 2020. The airline faced one of the toughest years in the aviation sector as revenues plunged by more than 50% to reach US$773 million in 2020.[28] In June 2020, the airline had reduced salaries of its employees and also put some on unpaid leaves for a year.[29]
Management and ownership
The company was formed on 19 March 2008 as a venture by the Government of Dubai. Even though the airline did get some help from its sister airline initially, it has been run independently since. Also, there was an initial move of executives, but the major bulk of the hiring comes from outside the
Destinations
As of April 2024, flydubai serves more than 110 destinations.[33][34] The airline currently has one hub and operates out of Terminal 2 of Dubai International Airport (DXB).[30] However, to accommodate for the growing airline and the expansion of the national airline at DXB, flydubai began to operate flights out of Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) from 25 October 2015. The airline began with 70 flights per week to Amman, Beirut, Chittagong, Doha, Kathmandu, Kuwait and Muscat from DWC.[35] In December 2018, it also commenced flights from Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport to select destinations to facilitate transfers with its codeshare partner Emirates.[36][37]
Fleet
Current fleet
The Boeing customer code for flydubai is KN, which appears in the designation of its older Boeing aircraft as an infix, such as 737-8KN. As of September 2025, flydubai operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet despite having Airbus A321neos and Boeing 787s on order, composed of the following aircraft:[50][51]
Order history
At the Farnborough Air Show in July 2008, the airline ordered 50 Boeing 737-800s valued at approximately US$3.74 billion with conversion rights to the larger 737-900ERs (extended range).[56] In November 2010, flydubai agreed a sale and leaseback deal with Avolon on another four 737-800s.[57]
In-flight features
Economy class
Full meal service is provided on some services to European and African destinations. On other flights within the network, passengers can pre-book a hot meal, and on flights over 3 hours and on shorter flights, a full menu of wraps and sandwiches is available. Purchases can be made from the crew or from the personal touch screens in each seat.
Business class
In June 2012, it was announced that business class would be added as a service.[69] As of June 2015, 85 of flydubai's destinations have the business class service. Each business class equipped aircraft contains 12 seats with a seat pitch of 42 inches. Along with a wider seat, on board the airline offers services such as: a choice of snacks, meals and drinks; access to films, a power outlet, blankets and pillows and noise-cancelling headphones. The Business Class services also extend at selected airports. At selected airports they offer priority check-in and fast track through security checks.[70] On 6 July 2014, flydubai announced the opening of their business lounge at Dubai International Airport
Accidents and incidents
- On 26 January 2015, flydubai Flight 215, a Boeing 737-8KN registered as A6-FEK flying from Dubai to Baghdad, was hit by small arms fire on approach to Baghdad International Airport with 154 passengers on board. The aircraft landed safely and no medical attention was needed at the airport.[76][77]
- On 19 March 2016, flydubai Flight 981, a Boeing 737-8KN registered as A6-FDN flying from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don in Russia, crashed during a go-around in inclement weather at Rostov-on-Don Airport, killing all 55 passengers and 7 crew on board. It was the first fatal accident in the airline's history.[78] Investigation conducted by the Interstate Aviation Committee ruled that the 2016 accident was the result of pilot error.[79][80]
External links
References
- flydubai reports strongest Financial Results in its 15-year history retrieved 2025-02-25^
- - Click "1. Agreement between You and flydubai" - Arabic address: "مقر فلادي دبي الرئيسي، مطار دبي الدولي، المبنى 2، ص. ب. 353، دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة" - Click "1.الاتفاقية وشروط استخدام موقع فلاي دبي الإلكتروني" Terms and conditions flydubai, retrieved 2024-09-19^