Flydubai confirms launch date, picks Amman as one of its first destinations

Two inaugural routes were announced at an April 6th media conference where Amman and Beirut were named as the first destinations for the fledgling carrier.

Flydubai will operate a non-stop service from Queen Alia International Airport to Dubai International Airport with flight FZ 152 departing at Amman at 1335.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Flydubai, said in a recent interview:

"Flydubai aims to make travel a little less complex, a little less stressful and little less expensive and we are committed to providing our passengers with the best price and more choices. We will operate efficiently and continually evolve to deliver the best possible product to our customers. We are determined to bringing a new option to the market and to grow the business of the region's budget air travel, which will greatly benefit our economy, our people and our tourism business as a whole."

When asked to comment on the new service, the chief executive officer of Flydubai, Ghaith Al Ghaith responded, "The company timed its planned daily flights to Beirut and Amman carefully. With the popularity of these destinations and the timing right at the start of the summer, this is a great beginning. We are confident Flydubai will bring a fresh approach to the budget airline sector and change the way people travel. By keeping things simple we will be able to provide an easier and more affordable travel experience. This will mean more people can get together with family and friends more often."

Flydubai is based at Dubai International Airport and will operate from the modernized and enhanced Terminal 2 located on the north side of the airport. The low-cost carrier was set up in by the government of Dubai in March, 2008 and will operate an all new fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft, configured with 189 economy seats.

When asked to comment on the latest airline expansion at Queen Alia International Airport, Curtis Grad, chief executive officer of Airport International Group, responded:

"For many of our customers, low-cost carriers are a popular choice for travel and an important source of future growth for QAIA."

Mr. Grad continued, "The daily flights offered by Flydubai will provide our customers a wider range of choices and continue to stimulate the Jordan tourism market."

The rehabilitation and expansion works at QAIA are well underway with the new passenger terminal extending over 85,000 square meters. AIG, under the terms of a 25-year concession agreement with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is responsible for the operation of the airport, the rehabilitation of existing facilities and the construction of the new terminal.

AIG is a Jordanian company with private shareholding by Abu Dhabi Investment Company (UAE), Noor Financial Investment Company (Kuwait), Edgo Group (Jordan), Joannou & Paraskevaides (Overseas) Limited (Cyprus), J&P-Avax (Greece) and Aéroports de Paris Management (France).