Emirates, flydubai carriers partner to fly across 200 destinations

Dubai-based airlines Emirates and flydubai have unveiled their extensive partnership agreement including integrated network collaboration and coordinated scheduling.

“Both airlines will continue to be managed independently, but will leverage each other’s network to scale up their operations and accelerate growth,” Emirates and FlyDubai said in a statement on Monday.

The partnership is due to start before the end of this year and the two airlines plan to align their “systems and operations” at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic.

“This is an exciting and significant development for Emirates, flydubai, and Dubai aviation. Both airlines have grown independently and successfully over the years, and this new partnership will unlock the immense value that the complementary models of both companies can bring to consumers, each airline, and to Dubai,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group and Chairman of flydubai.

Emirates currently has a wide-body fleet of 259 aircraft which fly to 157 destinations – including 16 cargo-only points, while flydubai operates 58 new-generation Boeing 737 aircraft, which fly to 95 destinations. Combined, the two airlines currently fly to 216 unique destinations with a combined fleet of 317 aircraft, with more than 300 on order between the two.

According to the statement, by 2022 the combined fleet will be comprised of 380 aircraft, flying to 240 destinations, with the airlines working to optimize their networks and schedules to allow for new city-pair connections and provide more choices to consumers.

Emirates at a glance

-Aircraft: 259
-Destinations: 157 (six cargo-only points)
-Total 2016/2017 revenue (for financial year ending March 31st, 2017): Dh85.1 billion ($23.2 billion)
-Total 2016/2017 profit (for financial year ending March 31st, 2017): Dh1.3 billion ($340 million)
-Total 2016/2017 passenger numbers (for financial year ending March 31st, 2017): 56.1 million (up 8 percent)

flydubai at a glance

-Aircraft: 58, with over 100 more expected by 2023
-Destinations: 95
-Total 2016 revenue: Dh5 billion ($1.37 billion)
-Total 2016 profit: Dh31.6 million ($8.6 billion)
-Total 2016 passengers: 10.4 million (14.4 percent growth over the previous year)

The airlines combined

-Current combined network is 216 destinations
-Current combined fleet is 317 aircraft
-2022 expected combined fleet: 380 aircraft
-2022 expected combined network: 240 destinations