Flydubai to move summer operations to DWC

The hybrid carrier said the move of a number of flights would coincide with the closure of one of Dubai International runways from May to July.

Dubai Airports said the airport’s capacity would be cut by 28 per cent over the 80-day period. A Flydubai spokerperson said: “We will be operating select flights from DWC during the runway closure period. After that all flights will resume at Dubai International as normal. ”
However industry analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “Given that Dubai International Airport is bulging with traffic as it readies to report another record-breaking year for passenger traffic, the news that Flydubai will shift some capacity to the newly opened Al Maktoum International Airport comes as little surprise.
“As the second biggest airline operating at Dubai International, it stands to reason that Flydubai will have to make changes to its schedules alongside other airlines while the 80-day runway repair work is carried out - this will affect everyone at the airport and given that Al Maktoum has capacity for up to 7m passengers, its sensible to make use of that space and availability so as to lessen the scheduling impact on passengers and demand.
“Longer term, I'm still of the opinion that Flydubau will eventually shift its entire operations to Al Maktoum International, as the rapidly expanding airline needs a rapidly developing new airport to support its expansion plans.”
Reports in the local Dubai press claim that a leaked letter from Dubai Airports had requested Emirates and Flydubai both cut their capacity by 22% during the period of closure.