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Middle East airlines expand routes amid financial gains

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Middle East airlines expand routes amid financial gains
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Etihad Airways | Wikipedia

Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways have each detailed changes to their route networks over the past year following the release of their financial results. The airlines, often referred to as the Middle East big three, reported expansions in destinations served and fleet growth despite ongoing challenges such as aircraft delivery delays.

Etihad Airways announced a net profit of AED1.7 billion ($462.8 million) for its last fiscal year, highlighting a 32% increase in passenger numbers to 18.5 million. "In 2024, the airline expanded its operations to over 1,700 weekly flights and increased frequencies on 25 routes over the past two years," said an Etihad representative. The carrier introduced more than 20 new destinations including Boston, Jaipur, Bali, and Nairobi.

The airline also expanded its fleet by adding 12 aircraft. This included several second-hand A321neos from Bamboo Airways and new Boeing 787-9s. New services were announced for cities like Addis Ababa through a joint venture with Ethiopian Airlines and Charlotte Douglas International Airport starting May 2026.

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Emirates reported a net profit of AED20.4 billion ($5.5 billion) at the end of FY2024/2025 and served 148 cities with a fleet of 260 passenger aircraft. It resumed six routes that had been paused since the pandemic began in March 2020 and increased service frequencies on other routes due to rising demand.

The airline has retrofitted several aircraft cabins while waiting for Boeing's delayed delivery of new planes. "By March 31, Emirates had 29 A380 and 20 777-300ER aircraft with new interiors," stated their report.

Qatar Airways reported a net profit of QAR7.8 billion ($2.1 billion) for FY2024/2025 while carrying over 43 million passengers during this period—a growth from the previous fiscal year’s figure of about 40 million travelers.

Qatar Airways' network grew to cover a record number of destinations among Middle Eastern carriers by increasing frequencies across numerous markets during FY2024/2025 according to their latest figures provided through Cirium's Diio Mi planning tool analysis which showed significant expansions into Australia via strategic partnerships with Virgin Australia enabling flights from multiple Australian cities using leased equipment instead after regulatory disapproval regarding earlier plans without external investments being involved directly beforehand.

Organizations Included in this History
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