flydubai profit hits Dhs1.9 billion in 2025

flydubai has delivered a strong financial performance for its financial year ending 31st December 2025, reporting a pre-tax profit of Dhs2.2 billion ($591 million). Total revenue reached Dhs13.6 billion ($3.7 billion), representing an increase of 6 per cent compared to Dhs12.8 billion ($3.5 billion) in 2024.

flydubai’s profit after tax stood at Dhs1.9 billion ($531 million), reflecting the strength of its strategic network expansion, continued investment in innovation, enhancements to its customer experience and a sustained commitment to serving underserved markets.

Commenting on the airline’s Financial Results, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of flydubai, said, “Under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, flydubai’s achievements align closely with Dubai’s broader economic vision, where aviation remains a cornerstone of Dubai’s growth strategy. Reporting its fifth consecutive year of strong profitability is a clear testament to flydubai’s disciplined strategy and operational resilience.

Throughout this period, the carrier successfully leveraged Dubai’s position as a leading global aviation hub, enabling it to capture strong, sustained passenger demand. At the same time, flydubai maintained a sharp focus on operational efficiency, ensuring it continues to invest wisely in its fleet, technology, product and talent development to support its ambitious future growth.”

Sheikh Ahmed added, “I am proud to see flydubai play a central role in supporting H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, in driving the implementation and progress of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) to become a leading global aviation hub. By connecting the city to more than 100 underserved markets, flydubai has contributed to attracting more visitors and reinforcing Dubai’s position as a gateway for trade, tourism and opportunity.”

flydubai maintained a robust EBITDA of AED4.0 billion ($1.1 billion) in 2025. Fuel cost accounted for 25 percent of total operating expenses, while the closing cash and bank balance (including pre-delivery payments) totalled Dhs5.6 billion ($1.5 billion). Enhancing operational efficiency remained a strategic priority, with on-time departure performance across the network improving by 6 percent compared to 2024.

The airline carried a record 15.7million passengers in 2025, driven by sustained demand for both business and leisure travel across its network. Business Class demand was particularly strong, with uptake increasing by 19 per cent compared to 2024.

Increased frequencies and the extension of its network across key markets further supported passenger growth, with the Middle East recording an 17 per cent increase, followed by Africa at 12 per cent and Europe at 12 per cent.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, commented, “Our strong financial performance in 2025 reflects the resilience of flydubai’s business model and the agility of our people. Throughout the year, we successfully navigated ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, continued supply chain constraints and rising maintenance costs, while maintaining operational efficiency and commercial momentum.

We are focused on disciplined, strategic growth, expanding our network and strengthening Dubai’s position as a leading global aviation hub. Today, we connect 140 airports to Dubai, facilitating trade, tourism and cultural exchange, while contributing meaningfully to the city’s economic growth. In addition, we made significant investments in technology, innovation and the enhancement of our in-house capabilities, while further elevating our customer experience. Laying strong foundations for the future, these investments will ensure we remain customer-focused and people-driven.”

flydubai continued to ramp up operations to meet increasing travel demand to and from the United Arab Emirates. Last year, the carrier operated 126,604 flights, the second-highest number of flights serving the country, and recorded more than 400 departures in a single day during peak travel periods in December 2025.

flydubai continued its strategic route expansion, launching nine new destinations and growing its network to 140 destinations in 58 countries.

Overall network capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASKM), increased by 6 per cent, while Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKM) went up by 6 per cent with Passenger Yield improving by 3 percent compared to 2024.

flydubai took delivery of 12 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, expanding its fleet to 97 aircraft with an average age of 5.5 years. The carrier retired three Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which were returned to the lessors.

The airline also finalised its retrofit programme, retrofitting eight Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft and bringing the total number of retrofitted aircraft in the fleet to 25.

The year concluded with a strong presence at the Dubai Airshow, where new aircraft orders were announced, including 150 Airbus A321neos and 75 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

flydubai also signed an agreement to introduce complimentary, high-speed Starlink inflight connectivity across its fleet from 2026, further elevating the onboard experience.

The strategic partnership between Emirates and flydubai enabled more than 2.5 million passengers to enjoy seamless connectivity across a joint network of 243 destinations in 103 countries via Dubai’s global aviation hub in 2025.

During the year, the carrier signed 11 new interline agreements, expanding its portfolio to 42 interline partners and providing customers with access to more than 300 destinations across the combined flydubai and partner networks, in addition to its three codeshare agreements with Air Canada, Emirates and United Airlines.

The airline’s continued recruitment drive delivered an 11 per cent increase in headcount, bringing its total workforce to 6,763 employees.

flydubai also strengthened its in-house capabilities with the launch of its Ab Initio Pilot Training Programme and Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Apprenticeship.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, commenting on the outlook for 2026, said, “As we look ahead to 2026, demand for travel remains healthy despite ongoing challenges. The fundamentals of our business are strong, and we are well-positioned to meet this sustained appetite for both leisure and business travel across our network.

We expect to take delivery of 12 aircraft in 2026, subject to manufacturer schedules. Seven of these will be Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, increasing our Business Class capacity, and five will be Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. These fuel-efficient aircraft support both our growth ambitions and our sustainability commitments.”

WAM