Flydubai receives its 50th aircraft

The 50th Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 completes the order the airline made at the Farnborough Air Show in 2008

29 Sept 2015

Abu Dhabi: Flydubai, the Dubai-based low-cost carrier, said on Monday it has received its 50th aircraft, a Boeing Next-Generation 737-800, which completes the order the airline made at the Farnborough Air Show in 2008.

The decision to choose the Boeing 737 model was based on the aircraft’s reliability, safety, and fuel efficiency, the airline said in a statement.

Flydubai had made an order for the largest single-aisle aircraft in the Middle East totalling 111 Boeing aircraft. The airline will receive 11 Next-Generation 737-800 between 2016 and 2017, followed by 100 737 MAX between 2017 and 2023.

“In the six years since flydubai was launched, we have built a network of 94 destinations with new cities joining all the time. We have benefited from being located in Dubai, an international centre for business. Flydubai has supported Dubai’s commercial and tourism sectors by opening up 67 new routes that did not previously have direct air links to Dubai. This aircraft represents the fulfilment of the vision set for the airline in 2008,” Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive officer of flydubai, said in a statement.

In 2015, flydubai announced 19 new routes, and currently flies to 45 countries. By the end of 2023, it will have taken delivery of over a 100 aircraft, all of which will be Boeing 737s.