Welcome - to Marhaba's new fast flyer service

Passengers have the choice of three levels of service when they fly from Dubai to speed them on their way and ensure they avoid airport hassle. Up to 9,000 people are expected to use it in the first year alone.

At first exclusive to passengers on Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, the new lounge will be marketed to 40-plus other airlines serving Dubai - and its facilities have room for expansion as they sign up.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed by Dermot Mannion, Emirates' Director of Finance, IT and Services, and Lt Col Abdulla M Hassan Al Majid, Assistant Director Dubai Naturalisation and Residency for Airport and Free Zone.

Mr Mannion said: "This new Marhaba service is tailored for the discerning traveller who expects nothing but the best. We are deliberately starting in a modest way, confidently expecting customer demand to grow rapidly as passengers come to appreciate its many advantages and modest cost."

Mr Ismail Ali Albanna, Dnata's Director of Airport Services, commented: "This is another example of our constant enhancement of services to passengers using Dubai International Airport. It is in line with the Dubai Government's intention to ensure the airport's position as the premier transportation hub for the region."

At the heart of the project is the newly-equipped Marhaba Departures Lounge, located at the head of departure check-in row 9, manned round the clock by specially-trained Marhaba staff and just yards from baggage screening.

The lounge, with its reception area, cosy seats, Persian carpeted floors, TV, newspapers, magazines and free soft drinks and snacks, is available without charge to customers' families and friends, and can also be used for small private business meetings. It has been designed, in Arabic style, by Khawla Ibrahim Al-Slaes, Property Engineer with the Emirates Group's Property Services Department.