DUBAI: Emirates and flydubai could use the same terminal at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travelers, after expanding their commercial relationship earlier this year, the head of the airport operator said.
Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, exclusively uses Terminal 3 with the exception of some Qantas flights which will end next year. Budget airline flydubai shares Terminal 2, on the other side of the airport, with other carriers.
Proposals to improve connections for passengers between the two airlines are under consideration, including whether it’s feasible for them to operate out of Terminal 3.
“We need to make a strategic decision about how the traffic distribution will work,” Dubai Airports Chief Executive Paul Griffiths told Reuters on Thursday in an interview in Dubai. “Then we need to move quickly into a design and construction phase to build whatever facilities are necessary for that, or adapt existing facilities around the new business model.”
Emirates and flydubai agreed in July to coordinate on network planning, schedules and frequent flyer programs, and said they would align airport systems and operations, but did not say how that would happen.
“What we are trying to do is see if we can get some sort of operating model established with them that will mean the infrastructure is shared on a more operational basis” Griffiths said.
A flydubai spokeswoman confirmed talks on how to improve passenger connectivity were underway. Emirates did not respond to a request for comment.
Emirates, flydubai, and Dubai Airports, are owned by the government of Dubai.
“We’ve got a series of proposals which hopefully before the end of the month will be evaluated and agreed,” Griffiths said.
Emirates and flydubai are managed independently despite the shared ownership and, as of July, operated a fleet of 317 aircraft to 216 destinations between them.
The airlines operate different aircraft. Emirates only flies widebody Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, while flydubai has an exclusive fleet of narrowbody Boeing 737s.
The combined fleet will expand to 380 aircraft flying to 240 destinations by 2022, the airlines said in July.
Moving flydubai’s operations to Terminal 1, located alongside Terminal 3, is also being looked at, and the final solution could be a hybrid of the proposals under consideration, Griffiths said.
Terminal 1 is used by foreign airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines.
Emirates and flydubai could operate from single terminal at Dubai airport
Emirates and flydubai could operate from single terminal at Dubai airport
Qatar real estate transactions reach $620m in November
RIYADH: Qatar’s real estate trading index recorded 2.26 billion Qatari riyals ($620.2 million) in total transaction value in November, up 7 percent on the previous month, according to official data.
The 530 deals registered in the 11th month of the year represent a 7 percent decline on October, and traded areas fell 4 percent, a report by the Ministry of Justice revealed.
Across the Gulf, real estate markets remained active in November. Dubai recorded transaction values exceeding 64 billion dirhams ($17.43 billion), while Sharjah posted 9.5 billion dirhams. Saudi Arabia reported 93,700 residential deals worth SR77.5 billion ($20.66 billion) in the first half of 2025.
Al Rayyan municipality led activity by value, with transactions totaling 798.7 million riyals in November. Doha ranked second at 689.7 million riyals, followed by Al Wakrah at 342.9 million riyals.
Outside the top three, Al Dhayain recorded 184 million riyals in traded value, Umm Salal posted 136.7 million riyals, Al Khor and Al Thakhira registered 59.4 million riyals, and Al Shamal totaled 48.8 million riyals. Al Shahaniya recorded 1.2 million riyals in transaction value during the month.
By transaction count, Al Rayyan accounted for 143 deals, ahead of Doha with 125 and Al Wakrah with 82. Umm Salal recorded 50 transactions, Al Shamal 55, Al Dhayain 46, Al Khor and Al Thakhira 28, and Al Shahaniya recorded one transaction.
By traded area, Al Rayyan represented 39 percent of total deal area in November, followed by Doha at 19 percent and Al Wakrah at 15 percent. Measured by the number of properties sold, Al Rayyan accounted for 27 percent of transactions, Doha 24 percent, and Al Wakrah 16 percent.
Mortgage activity totaled 115 transactions in November, with an aggregate value of 3.76 billion riyals.
Doha recorded the highest number of mortgage transactions, with 45 deals, representing 39.1 percent of mortgaged properties, followed by Al Rayyan with 40 transactions, or 34.8 percent, and Al Dhayain with 11 transactions, or 9.6 percent.
By mortgage value, Doha ranked first at 2.30 billion riyals, while Al Khor and Al Thakhira recorded the lowest value, at 2.4 million riyals.
The report also showed that, across municipalities with mortgage activity, the share of mortgaged property counts exceeded the share of mortgage values in all cases except Doha, where mortgage values carried a higher share relative to the number of transactions.
Among the highest-value mortgaged assets, Doha accounted for six of the top 10 mortgaged properties in November, with Al Rayyan contributing three and Al Dhayain one.
The top 10 mortgaged properties accounted for 80 percent of the total value of all mortgage transactions completed during the month.
In residential unit trading, activity declined in November compared with October. The market recorded 160 residential unit deals with a total value of 235.6 million riyals.
