UAE carriers expand reach to 603 global destinations

WAM

UAE carriers were serving 603 destinations worldwide by the first quarter of 2024, compared to 586 at the close of 2023.

The three percent increase reflects the rebound in the aviation sector and a surge in travel demand, state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting data released by the national carriers.

Air Arabia leads with 215 destinations, followed by Emirates (143) and Flydubai (129).

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Etihad Airways offers services to 76 destinations, with Air Arabia Abu Dhabi at 29 and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi serving 40 destinations.

These airlines operate from centres across the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, Armenia and Pakistan.

Etihad aims to expand its service network to more than 125 destinations by 2030, targeting more than 33 million passengers annually.

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The airline has launched 15 new destinations and expects another five to six to be added this year.

Emirates serves 134 passenger destinations and nine cargo destinations. The airline is working to enhance its seating capacity to meet the growing demand for travel through Dubai to various global destinations, the report said.

Emirates will launch a daily service from Dubai to Bogotá, Colombia, starting June 3. This new route will become its fourth gateway in South America, joining São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.

Sharjah-based Air Arabia will launch direct daily flights from the emirate to Krakow, Poland, starting June 29. It will also resume flights between Sharjah and Jazan in Saudi Arabia, with three weekly flights from June 4.