The Dubai-based carrier has delivered another strong financial performance for its financial year ending 31 December 2025, reporting a pre-tax profit of AED 2.2 billion (USD 591 million). Total revenue reached AED 13.6 billion (USD 3.7 billion), representing an increase of 6% compared to AED 12.8 billion (USD 3.5 billion) in 2024.
Follow Aeronews on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Bluesky and TikTok
flydubai’s profit after tax stood at AED 1.9 billion (USD 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.
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% 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% increase, followed by Africa at 12% and Europe at 12%.
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.
Network
flydubai continued its strategic route expansion, launching nine new destinations and growing its network to 140 destinations in 58 countries. These additions include Al Alamein (Egypt); Antalya (Türkiye); Bushehr and Qeshm (Iran); Iași (Romania); Nairobi (Kenya); Peshawar (Pakistan); Riga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania). The carrier also resumed operations to three destinations: Chișinău (Moldova), Damascus (Syria) and Tabriz (Iran).
Overall network capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASKM), increased by 6%, while Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKM) went up by 6% with Passenger Yield improving by 3% compared to 2024.
Fleet
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 8 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft and bringing the total number of retrofitted aircraft in the fleet to 25. This is part of the carrier’s ongoing efforts to enhance product consistency and deliver a more cohesive travel experience for passengers in both Business and Economy Class.
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. This strategic addition diversifies the carrier’s narrowbody fleet and strengthens its long-term strategy.
Customer experience
In November 2025, the carrier enhanced its Economy Class offering across all flights, introducing meals and inflight entertainment for all Economy Class fares. This milestone marks a significant evolution of the airline’s business model, underscoring its commitment to putting customers first and responding to dynamic market needs.
flydubai also signed an agreement to introduce complimentary, high-speed Starlink inflight connectivity across its fleet from 2026, further elevating the onboard experience.
Partnerships
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.
Workforce
The airline’s continued recruitment drive delivered an 11% 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. These initiatives form part of the airline’s long-term workforce strategy to support the growing demands of its expanding fleet and network over the next decade.
Outlook for 2026
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer flydubai: “We expect to take delivery of 12 aircraft in 2026, subject to manufacturer schedules. 7 of these will be Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, increasing our Business Class capacity, and 5 will be Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. These fuel-efficient aircraft support both our growth ambitions and our sustainability commitments. We will also add frequencies across selected routes and continue to evaluate new growth opportunities, including the launch of Bangkok later this year, which will mark an important gateway into Southeast Asia.”