Launch airport for FlyDubai still uncertain

FlyDubai chiefs have admitted they are still deciding which Dubai airport the budget carrier will fly from, just months before the airline’s proposed launch.

The low-cost carrier was expected to begin operations at Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali this summer.

But hub operator Dubai Airports recently revealed the airport’s opening will be delayed a year until mid-2010.

In response to Dubai Airports’ (DAC) announcement, FlyDubai told Arabian Business on Sunday that it is still “in talks with representatives of DAC and will be able to make an announcement on which airport we will fly from soon”.

It’s understood FlyDubai will have to launch from Dubai International Airport, the emirate’s existing hub, to remain on schedule.

But the airline’s CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith insisted plans to begin operations this summer were still on track, despite rumours that delays at Al Maktoum airport had hit FlyDubai’s launch date.  

“We will soon unveil the airline's planned routes and more information about our services,” he added.

“Before we can confirm any new destination there is a process of approvals from both internal and external stakeholders, and we are not in a position to make any announcement at the moment. All we can say for now is that we are on track to launch in mid-2009.”

When launched, the carrier will fly to destinations within four to five hours flying time from Dubai. The carrier’s chiefs are considering several routes to the Indian subcontinent, north and east Africa, southeast Europe and across the Middle East.

No destinations were confirmed with Fly Dubai in “no position to give further details”.

Last July, the carrier ordered 54 Boeing 737-800 aircraft worth $4bn at the Farnborough Airshow.