Flydubai CEO Expects Pre-War Capacity by Year-End After Steep Decline

Flydubai expects to fully restore its network and capacity to pre-conflict levels before the end of 2026 as the carrier works through a recovery from regional tensions that disrupted operations earlier this year. “Before the end of the year, we should go back to 100% of pre-war capacity, and even a little bit more because we will receive more aircraft,” CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Wednesday. “But of course, that is subject to many things.” Flydubai, the sister airline of Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates, currently flies to 130 of its pre-war 140 destinations — roughly 85% network recovery. OAG data in September reported that flydubai posted the steepest decline in seat capacity among the top 10 Middle East airlines, cutting seats by 18.3% year-on-year, to 1.05 million. Emirates