Flydubai has confirmed that it will wet lease four Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft from the Czech Republic-based airline Smartwings.
The agreement announced on August 7, 2023, will see the Smartwings planes join the Dubai based carrier between October 17, 2023, and April 16, 2024.
The Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) agreement with Smartwings will see the four-leased aircraft support flydubai’s fleet of 79 Boeing 737 aircraft.
The new additions will help to bolster flydubai’s fleet of aircraft during the busy travel period in Dubai over the autumn and winter seasons.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO at flydubai, said: “We are pleased to confirm this new wet lease agreement with Smartwings, this marks our third agreement with the carrier since 2019. Smartwings, an IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certified company, is well-experienced in ACMI agreements. The leasing of four additional aircraft will enable us to maintain our operational efficiency, add capacity around our network and minimise any potential disruption to our passengers during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.”
flydubai currently operates a single-fleet type of Boeing 737 aircraft that includes 30 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800s, 46 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and three Boeing 737 MAX 9s.
Jiri Juran, chairman of the Board of Directors at Smartwings, said: “We are delighted to have signed our third ACMI wet lease agreement with flydubai. This cooperation, which we greatly value, will allow us to achieve a higher utilisation of our aircraft and provide our qualified employees with more opportunities during the winter season.”
The all-Economy Class aircraft will operate on select routes on the flydubai network, including Chattogram, Colombo, Dhaka, Karachi and Muscat.