UAE’s flydubai 2021 profit rebounds above pre-pandemic levels

United Arab Emirates carrier flydubai swung to a profit of 841 million dirhams ($229 million) last year surpassing pre-pandemic figures as demand increased after travel curbs eased globally, it said on Monday.

The profit compared with a loss of 712.6 million dirhams in 2020 when the airline, which lacks a domestic market, was hit by international closures imposed because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Revenue jumped 86% to 5.3 billion dirhams.

The profit figures even topped the 198.2 million dirhams reported in 2019. ($1 = 3.6724 UAE dirham)

“With the lifting of restrictions across our network and increasing demand for travel, we are cautiously optimistic about the year ahead notwithstanding the geopolitical situation and its potential effect on the pricing of commodities,” CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said.

“As the momentum for travel continues to build, we will increase frequencies and introduce new destinations on our network during 2022,” Al Ghaith added.

The carrier carried 5.6 million passengers during the year, representing a 76% rise from the last year with the number of flights surpassing pre-pandemic levels in December when the airline operated 6,430 flights.

The flydubai fleet expanded by eight jets to 59 aircraft in 2021.

Reuters.com by Shakeel Ahmad, editing by Ed Osmond