Flydubai back in the black

The Emirati budget carrier flydubai on Monday announced it is back in the black, posting $229 million in profits in 2021, after heavy losses suffered by the world's Covid-hit airline industry.

Flydubai, which is owned by Dubai like the giant airline Emirates, carried 5.6 million passengers last year, a 76-percent leap from 2020 when it lost $186 million at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dubai, a tourism and trading hub, has since October been hosting the delayed Expo 2020 world fair, which ends on March 31.

In July 2020 Dubai became one of the world's first locations to reopen to foreign travel.

Dubai airport last year remained the world's busiest in terms of international passengers, numbering about 29.1 million in 2021.