The low-cost airline flydubai is planning to double its number of routes and staff size this year after attracting more than 500,000 passengers in less than a year of operations, its chief executive says.
The airline hopes it will cross the 1 million passenger mark this year after first launching services last June, Ghaith al Ghaith, the chief executive of flydubai, said during a welcoming ceremony in Muscat yesterday to mark the airline's first flight to the city.
"We are almost 600,000 now," Mr al Ghaith said.
"We went from idea to plan to action so fast, I think it's been incredibly successful."
The airline was announced at the height of the global boom in air travel in early 2008 but eventually launched in June last year, during the worst business environment in airline history.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), has said that airlines lost an estimated US$9.4 billion (Dh34.52bn) last year.
But the Middle East was among the best-performing regions and has rebounded strongly. In January, the region registered growth of 23.6 per cent in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), a key industry metric, IATA said.
"[The launch] went better than expected, considering the circumstances," Mr al Ghaith said.
"We had no problem financing the aircraft, we had no problem attracting a huge number of people to try our flights, and we didn't cancel our orders.
"In fact we received one more than we had originally thought for last year."
The airline is one of several new budget airlines that have sprouted up in the Middle East over the past few years, fuelled by the region's economic growth.
After its first flight to Beirut last June, the airline quickly built up its fleet to six Boeing 737-800 aircraft flying to 11 regional destinations by the end of last year, and this week it launches flights to Kuwait and Muscat.
The airline expects to grow from 400 employees to 800 by the end of this year. And it is on the verge of another milestone, Mr al Ghaith said, in becoming the second-largest airline at Dubai International Airport after Emirates Airline, surpassing several Indian carriers that operate multiple flights a day to the emirate.
"We will reach number two soon, if we haven't already," he said.
This year, flydubai will receive another seven aircraft, with deliveries accelerating to one a month starting in October.
They will be part of a $4bn, 50-aircraft order made in 2008. All 50 are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2015.
The airline's strategy has been to offer basement fares to popular destinations in the region such as the Levant and the GCC, although it has also sought to differentiate itself from Emirates by flying to smaller cities such as Djibouti and Baku that full-service airlines have avoided.
The airline has some of the lowest operating costs of airlines worldwide, according to FBE Aerospace in London, and was the first budget airline in the region to charge for checked-in luggage, which it says allows passengers to pay only for services they use.
"This way we keep the fares low and the fares fair," Mr al Ghaith said. He declined to comment on plans to fly into India, which was supposed to begin last year but was abruptly postponed for "operational reasons".
Last week, The Economic Times of India reported the country's civil aviation department had approved flydubai to begin services to several Indian destinations, and that last year's pull-out happened because it "failed to receive regulatory approval from Indian aviation authorities".
"Of course we will fly to India," Mr al Ghaith said. "But when, how, and how many flights, we will have to wait for that."
igale@thenational.ae
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
The specs
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Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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