flydubai Takes Flight at Bahrain International Air Show 2024

Mahir Haneef

TDT| Manama

Today, the Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) witnessed a significant milestone as Dubai’s low-cost airline, flydubai, made its inaugural appearance at the renowned event.

This marks a strategic step for the airline, reflecting its ambitions not just within Dubai’s borders but across the Gulf and broader aviation network. flydubai’s presence at the Sakhir Airbase, where BIAS unfolds over three days, symbolizes its intent to carve a notable space in the Gulf’s competitive aviation landscape. But beyond just a symbolic presence, flydubai came prepared to showcase a tangible investment: a retrofitted Boeing 737-800 outfitted with an updated cabin interior that promises a premium edge to budget travel.

At the centre of the display was the Boeing 737-800’s revamped Business Class, featuring lie-flat seats that signal flydubai’s commitment to redefining expectations. This retrofit is not just cosmetic; it reflects a broader multi-million-dollar program that began earlier this year with a promise to enhance passenger comfort and meet rising demands for in-flight technology. To date, flydubai has already retrofitted 15 of these aircraft, with plans to complete two more by the end of 2024 and continue the program through 2025, bringing a total of 20 aircraft in line with the new interior standard.

 “This Airshow represents an opportunity for us to showcase our newly retrofitted cabin interior and reflects our commitment to passenger comfort, integrating cutting-edge technology and design to elevate the flying experience,” commented Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai. The company’s retrofit program underscores a desire to evolve in tune with global aviation innovations while holding to its roots as a cost-effective airline.

For visitors to BIAS, the aircraft on display embodies flydubai’s pursuit of a refined passenger experience, combining the lie-flat seats in Business Class with modern inflight entertainment for economy travellers. Economy passengers on flydubai’s retrofitted planes now find 11.6-inch HD screens, offering a range of movies, TV shows, and entertainment in multiple languages - a nod to flydubai’s diverse passenger base that includes travellers from the GCC, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and beyond.

Bahrain, a market flydubai has steadily served since 2009, holds strategic importance for the carrier. Over the past year alone, flydubai operated over 2,800 flights between Dubai and Bahrain, carrying millions of passengers on this high-demand route. Today, the airline offers 31 flights a week between the two cities, underscoring its deep-rooted commitment to Bahrain. Since its first flight between Dubai and Bahrain, flydubai has connected more than four million passengers, reflecting the vital role of affordable, reliable air travel in linking the Gulf's economic and cultural hubs.

As flydubai steps further into the global arena, its strategic decisions reflect a company that has grown well beyond its origins, now boasting a fleet of 88 Boeing 737 aircraft and an expansive network of over 125 destinations in 55 countries. With each new retrofit and international appearance, flydubai’s message to the industry becomes clearer - the airline is steadily reshaping itself as a contender in global aviation, determined to raise the stakes for comfort, consistency, and connectivity for its passengers.