According to local airline data, in 2012, the 5 national airlines of the UAE received 53 new planes, raising the total number of operated planes to 330 at the end of the year, reported Emirates 24/7 citing Emirat Alyoum daily. The report shows that Emirates, which received 33 new planes in the year, remained the UAE's largest carrier, with a fleet of 195 Airbuses and Boeings, operating over 1,800 weekly flights. Second came Etihad Airways that received 7 Boeings and Airbuses, bringing its fleet size to 72 aircraft that carried nearly 10.3 million passengers in 2012 from 8.4 million a year before. Meanwhile, Air Arabia, based in Sharjah, took delivery of 6 new Airbuses, ending the year with 32 passenger aircraft. As for FlyDubai, the budget carrier received 7 new planes in 2012 and operated 28 aircraft at the end of the year. Furthermore, Ras Al khaimah's RAK Airways ended 2012 with 3 planes. It is worth noting that the UAE carriers are steadily expanding their fleets encouraged by a stable growth in airport activity.
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