flydubai takes off in June

Dubai's first low cost airline, flydubai,┬áannounced yesterday it would open its service in June, with the first daily flights departing to Lebanese capital Beirut and Amman, Jordan. flydubai will operate a $4 billion fleet of 54 Boeing 737 aircraft, each offering 189 economy class seats, from its base at Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport. The Dubai government-owned airline will begin receiving the first planes from Boeing next month ahead of its first flights in June to become the fifth budget carrier to operate in the Gulf Arab region.┬á "The first two will be delivered in May ... six this year and then a good many of them the following years," said Kenneth Schultz, BoeingÔÇÖs vice president of commercial airplane sales. A one way ticket to Beirut and Amman will cost AED250 inclusive of seat price, all taxes and a generous hand baggage allowance of 10kgs, unmatched in the region.┬á Passengers only have to pay for the optional extras they choose, such as checked bags of up to 32kgs each, seat selection and any food and beverages. The airline will issue each passenger with a boarding pass once the booking has been paid for, eliminating the need for e-tickets and paper tickets. flydubai CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, believes the daily Amman flights is the perfect way to launch the airline.┬á ÔÇ£With the popularity of this destination and the timing right at the start of summer, this is a great beginning,ÔÇØ he said.┬á ÔÇ£We are offering a low cost alternative to residents of Dubai and Jordan who want to travel for leisure or visit relatives and friends more often.ÔÇØ flydubai will compete with Sharjah, United Arab Emirates-based Air Arabia AIRA.DU and Kuwait's Jazeera Airways, which also operates out of Dubai.┬á Gulf Arab airlines have been purchasing billions of dollars worth of aircraft, hoping their geographical position will declare the region as a hub for international passenger traffic.The airline's operations team is currently finalising routes, which are likely to include the Indian subcontinent, north and east Africa, southeast Europe and the Middle East.┬á┬á