In the fifth of our winning stories from 2025’s Airline Strategy Awards, which were held in London on 14 July, Flydubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith received the Executive Leadership: Middle East & Africa award
Ghaith Al Ghaith’s leadership at Flydubai has been instrumental in the airline’s rise as a major carrier in the region, delivering record-breaking growth over the past 18 months.
By balancing aggressive expansion with disciplined cost control, Al Ghaith has guided Flydubai to sustained profitability and reinforced its importance to Dubai’s aviation sector and broader economy.
“He’s done an amazing job with what was a start-up… turning huge profits,” said one judge.
“He’s a wonderful leader.”
Indeed, Flydubai had its strongest financial performances since its launch in 2023 and 2024, delivering a net profit of AED2.5 billion ($680 million) on revenues of AED12.8 billion in 2024, up from a net profit of AED2.1 billion on revenues of AED11.2 billion in 2023.
Those results reflect a well-executed growth strategy that saw Flydubai scale up rapidly to capture resurgent travel demand in the post-pandemic period, judges observed, carrying a record 15.4 million passengers in 2024, well above pre-pandemic levels.
A key pillar of Flydubai’s success has been network expansion and fleet modernisation, which has seen the carrier become the biggest narrowbody operator in the region.
Another cornerstone of Al Ghaith’s leadership has been a strategic partnership with sister company Emirates Airline. Now in its sixth year, the Emirates-Flydubai codeshare alliance enables seamless connectivity across a combined network of more than 220 destinations.
Judges noted that he also prioritised enhancing the customer experience, even within the low-cost model. Investments in digital innovation, including a revamped mobile app and booking platform, have simplified the customer journey and boosted direct sales. Internally, a data-driven approach has improved on-time performance and resource utilisation.
Al Ghaith’s leadership has also shaped Flydubai’s product offering. The introduction of a business-class cabin across its 737 fleet, a rarity among low-cost carriers, was a strategic move to attract passengers beyond its traditional base. That effort has been boosted by recent cabin upgrades, including flat-bed seats on some longer routes, which have further differentiated the airline’s proposition and attracted premium leisure customers.
He has also championed the development of local talent, more than doubling the intake of UAE nationals through cadet and training programmes.
Judges further agreed that through a balanced focus on people, process and technology, Al Ghaith has ensured flydubai scales sustainably without compromising operational standards or its growing reputation for reliability.
Under his stewardship, Flydubai has cemented its position as a key player in the regional aviation market: agile, profitable, and poised for the next phase of expansion.
“Amazing things are happening and that’s what I would like to recognise,” a judge says.
“He’s doing an outstanding job.”
The full list of 2025 Airline Strategy Award winners, by category, were:
Executive Leadership: North America Scott Kirby, United Airlines
Executive Leadership: Europe Luis Gallego, IAG
Executive Leadership: Asia-Pacific Shinichi Inoue, ANA
Executive Leadership: Latin America & Caribbean Pedro Heilbron, Copa Airlines
Executive Leadership: Africa & Middle East Ghaith Al Ghaith, Flydubai
Air-Cargo Leadership Azul Cargo Express
Digital Leadership Ryanair
ESG Leadership JetBlue Airways
The Airline Business Award Harry Hohmeister