Flydubai, a Dubai-based low cost carrier, has reported a 12.3 per cent increase in net profit for 2014, compared to 2013.

The budget carrier posted net profit earnings of Dh250 million ($68 million) with total revenue growing by 19.1 per cent to Dh4.4 billion ($1.2 billion).

Flydubai carried 7.25 million passengers in 2014 and has carried a total of 24.3 million since it launched its operations. Moreover, the airline saw an increase in passenger numbers between 2013 and 2014 in Africa (14 percent), Central Asia (57 per cent), Europe (11 per cent) and the Subcontinent (11 per cent).

Furthermore, 2014 saw the airline add 23 new routes, creating a network of 86 destinations, along with increased frequency on many of its existing routes. The airline now operates 1,400 flights per week.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive officer of flydubai, said: “2014 saw flydubai open up a record number of new routes in what was a demanding year. To have achieved what we have achieved is significant. The continued investment in our people and operations has strengthened our business and ensures that we are well positioned for sustained growth in the future. It is good to see that more passengers than ever before are travelling with us.”

In 2015, flydubai expects to receive the remaining Boeing 737-800s from its 2008 order delivered while the first deliveries of the 737 MAX 8s is expected in 2017.

“We will end 2015 with a fleet of 50 aircraft. Together with the new route launches this is an endorsement of the strategy we set out at the beginning and underlines the achievements of the past six years. I’m grateful to the team at flydubai for helping us to ensure that we are well positioned for sustained growth in the years ahead,” Al Ghaith said. – TradeArabia News Service