Budget airline Flydubai has decided to lease more aircraft after Boeing received regulatory approval of its grounded 737 MAX aircraft. Boeing had not expected to win the approval until mid-2020, the Khaleej Times reported.
The airline has already leased four old models of 37-800 jets between December 14 and January 25. Boeing has informed airlines and suppliers of the aircraft’s new costing. According to the US planemaker, the MAX will rebound to service as a high priority. Boeing aims to get the MAX back into service before October this year.
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research told the Khaleej Times that the airline requires a better capacity to meet demand and generate revenue. Flydubai said in a statement that, “We are looking at short- to medium-term leasing options to add more capacity for the coming few months. The discussions with Boeing regarding compensation are ongoing.”
Previously, the airline had alerted that its operations might fall to 2014 levels if Boeing does not return to service within a reasonable period. Flydubai’s order for 250 MAX jets is the second largest for the Boeing model after Southwest, a media report said. Southwest is a major American airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Flydubai and Emirates commence their third year strategic partnership to strengthen Dubai’s position as a leading global aviation hub. Since October 2017, more than 5.27 million passengers have benefitted from Emirates and Flydubai partnership, a media report said. Emirates passengers have access to 94 destinations on the Flydubai network, while Flydubai passengers can access 143 Emirates destinations.