Dubai close to world’s busiest airport tag
UAE airlines get back to near full operations and into hiring amid robust travel demand
London Heathrow was the world’s busiest airport with 3.38 million ‘seats’ in May, but not by as much as Dubai International placed a close second with around 3.3 million seats.
This is first time since 2019 that London Heathrow has reclaimed the title, as UK ushered in the full return of international travel, according to data from OAG.
Hong Kong, which was the world’s second-largest international airport in May 2019, stood in 84th place with only 12 per cent of historic capacity being operated.
DXB, which had re-opened in full after the Covid-19 strike in mid-2020, forecasts a passenger turnout of 58.3 million this year after a sharp increase in traffic in recent weeks, and particularly during the Eid break earlier this month. The earlier estimates for 2022 were for 55.1 million passengers.
Impressive performance
“DXB’s performance over the past successive quarters is nothing short of impressive and is a direct outcome of Dubai’s clear strategy and efforts to restore international air connectivity and mobility,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
Despite high oil prices, UAE’s airlines could become profitable way ahead of some of their industry peers as they benefit from pent-up travel demand.
In its latest earnings report, Emirates airline said it expects to enter positive territory in 2022-23. This was after the airline narrowed its full year 2021 loss to Dh3.8 billion compared to a loss of Dh22.1 billion a year earlier.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which was in the midst of a turnaround, had a profitable first quarter for the first time in its 18-year history. “This is still a work in progress, but what we have seen is a market that’s come back like a fire hydrant going off,” said CEO Tony Douglas during an industry event last week. “Yield is still good in terms of ticket pricing.”
The budget airlines are already in blue with flydubai posting a profit of Dh841 million in 2021. Sharjah-based Air Arabia reported a 756 per cent surge in its first quarter profit amid a recovery in global air travel demand.
During an industry event,
Emirates’ chief operating officer Adel Al Redha said the aviation industry could bounce back in 2022 itself if airlines and airports ramp up hiring to deal with the severe staff shortages.
UAE airlines doing fine
UAE airlines, which began hiring in mid-2021 anticipating a recovery in air travel demand, have not experienced any major staff shortages so far. “We have not cancelled or delayed a launch of any flight now and (will not do so) in the near future because of staff shortages,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai during a virtual event.