Summary
- flydubai aims to hire over 130 pilots by year-end as part of its recruitment drive to expand its workforce.
- Expansion efforts include growing the network to the Baltics, launching seasonal island destinations, and adding new flights to Iran.
- The seven new Boeing 737 MAX jets joining the fleet will bring the airline’s total delivery for 2024 to 11 aircraft.
Dubai’s second carrier, flydubai, today announced its aim to hire over 130 pilots by the end of this year and expects seven new aircraft to join its fleet in the next five months. This will allow the airline to expand its network and operations and continue its growth trajectory.
New planes, new pilots
With plans to continue growing its network, flydubai today announced that the airline anticipates hiring over 130 pilots as part of its ongoing recruitment drive to grow its workforce of over 5,800 employees from over 140 nationalities. The airline has recruited over 440 members so far this year, which is 6% more than the 2023 figure.
Apart from new pilots, however, the airline is also anticipating seven new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to join the flydubai fleet of 88 Boeing 737 aircraft. Boeing’s data as of June 30th indicate that the airline has already taken delivery of four aircraft this year, which would bring the total number of new aircraft joining flydubai’s fleet in 2024 to 11.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
However, it is interesting that the carrier took delivery of two more aircraft in 2023 (13) than the expected number for 2024. Including the seven aircraft set to join the fleet this year, flydubai has a total of 127 MAX aircraft on order, along with the historical order made during the 2023 Dubai Airshow for 30 Boeing 787-9 widebody aircraft.
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Growing network
As the airline grows its workforce and its fleet, another part flydubai is focusing its expansion on is its route network. While the carrier will be launching seven seasonal island destinations for this summer, flydubai, the incoming aircraft, and the workforce will also help the airline add four new destinations:
|
Airport Code |
BSL |
RIX |
TLL |
VNO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Destination |
Basel |
Riga |
Tallinn |
Vilnius |
|
RIX – DXB currently served by airBaltic |
Based on this data, there is a clear sign that the airline is focusing on expanding connectivity to the Baltic region. This makes sense considering flydubai’s partner airline, Emirates, codeshares with airBaltic but does not fly to the Baltic region themselves.
Photo: Collab Media | Shutterstock
Additionally, flydubai recently commenced services to Lahore (commenced in July) and Islamabad (commenced in May) in recent months, and later this year, the airline aims to start flying to two new destinations in Iran – Kish Island and Kerman, from September 7th and 9th respectively.
Not just flydubai
While flydubai today said it will take delivery of seven new aircraft, fellow Dubai-based carrier Emirates announced it will expand its cargo division, Emirates SkyCargo, by ordering five new Boeing 777F aircraft.
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These five new freighters will join the airline’s fleet of dedicated freight aircraft, which includes the Boeing 777Fs and the Boeing 747-400Fs.
The carrier utilizes its fleet of dedicated freight jets along with belly capacity available on its passenger fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s to provide global cargo connectivity.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
The airline is also expecting to receive the first of its Airbus A350-900s in the coming months. This will mark the first new passenger aircraft to join the Emirates fleet since it took delivery of the last Airbus A380 in 2021.
Between Emirates and flydubai, the pair will be receiving hundreds of new aircraft in the coming years, which will see both carriers expand their operations and networks, complementing each other to ultimately provide the best connections from the carriers’ hub at Dubai International Airport (DXB).
