Dubai unveils budget airline brand

BUDGET CARRIER: Sheikh Ahmed (pictured) has said Dubai's new low-cost airline will be called FlyDubai. (Getty Images)

Dubai's new low-cost airline will be called FlyDubai and will offer "no-frills flights" within the Gulf and surrounding countries, the airline's chairman announced on Wednesday.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, also chairman of Emirates, said the name had been approved from a shortlist by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

“FlyDubai is a simple, yet powerful call to action. It makes an immediate link to our core business, which is providing no-frills flights to bring people to and from Dubai," Sheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

"The name also carries a strong association with the city of Dubai, itself a brand synonymous with excellence, reliability and an international, pro-business approach."

Sheikh Ahmed said the airline would focus on services "high-demand destinations" in the region.

He said the airline, which will operate from the new Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali, was on course to launch its first flights by mid-2009.

The statement said FlyDubai would be "entirely separate" from Emirates and the Emirates Group.

FlyDubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said the airline was currently recruiting key staff, evaluating aircraft options and routes, and working out its pricing and distribution strategy.

The FlyDubai fleet will be equipped either with Boeing 737 aircraft or Airbus A320s, Sheikh Ahmed said when the airline was first announced in March.

Airbus Middle East President Habib Fekih estimated the airline could purchase between 50 and 70 aircraft over the next five years.

The new carrier will be the sixth in the region that is low-cost and will compete with Sharjah-based Air Arabia, the Middle East's largest low cost airline.

The Middle East's aviation industry has boomed over the last few years, with growth in passenger traffic consistently far higher than the rest of the world, spurred by soaring oil revenues, developing tourism and additional airport and airline capacity.

Regional air traffic growth in April was 11 percent year-on-year, compared to worldwide passenger demand which increased by just 3 percent over the same period, according to the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).

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