The UAE’s airlines are rapidly expanding their global presence, driven by the nation’s strong tourism and business sectors, coupled with a resurgence in travel demand.
Official data indicates that UAE carriers now operate to around 606 destinations globally, encompassing passenger, joint, and cargo routes.
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) anticipates that passenger traffic will reach 140M, as reported by the state news agency, WAM.
This marks a 3.4 per cent increase from the 586 destinations recorded at the end of 2023.
A breakdown of the airlines’ destinations is as follows: Emirates serves over 144 destinations, Etihad Airways covers 79, flydubai operates to 125, Air Arabia reaches 218 destinations, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi connects to 40 destinations, according to the WAM report.
UAE Airlines: Passenger and Destination Targets
Etihad Airways has been particularly proactive in expanding its route network, aiming for 125 destinations by 2030.
The airline plans to leverage its strategic location between Asia and Europe to boost its annual passenger numbers to 33M.
In 2024, Etihad has added several new destinations and increased flight frequencies, including a substantial boost in services to Thailand and the resumption of flights to Nairobi.
In the first seven months of 2024, Etihad Airways carried 10.4M passengers and expanded its fleet to 93 aircraft, up from 78 in July 2023.
The airline reported a net profit of AED 851M in H1 2024, a 48 per cent year-on-year increase, with revenues rising 21 per cent to AED 11.7B.
Emirates, operating across 144 destinations on six continents, continues to expand its seat capacity to meet growing demand. The airline is also modernising 80 Boeing 777 aircraft as part of an AED 11B investment to enhance passenger experience.
flydubai operates to 125 destinations across 58 countries, with recent additions including EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg.
The airline plans to expand its fleet with seven new aircraft by the end of the year and hire over 130 new pilots to support its network expansion, including new routes to Basel, Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius.
Air Arabia Group, which operates from six hubs, including 113 from the UAE, reported a net profit of AED 693M in H1 2024. The airline served 8.9M passengers, reflecting a 16 per cent year-on-year increase, with a strong seat occupancy rate of 81 per cent.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, with a network of 40 destinations, is expanding its operations with a modern fleet to meet rising demand and support its ambitious growth objectives.
The UAE has also secured a leading position in global civil aviation competitiveness, according to the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024.
In the rankings published in June, the UAE was ranked first globally in the ‘Quality of Air Transport Infrastructure’ indicator and 3rd globally in both the ‘Efficiency of Air Transport Services’ and ‘Available Airline Seat Kilometres – millions/week’ metrics.
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the UAE also leads in the ‘Number of Operating Airlines’ and ‘Air Transport Agreements’ indicators.
Additionally, the UAE received top global recognition in the ‘Quality of Air Transport’ category in the International Institute for Management Development’s Global Competitiveness Report 2023.