[BAG]

Just weeks after the launch of its first routes to Beirut and Amman, flydubai – Dubai’s first low cost airline – has announced daily flights to Damascus starting from 8th June 2009 and daily flights to Alexandria from 9th June 2009.

In line with its business strategy to rapidly expand its regional network, flydubai chose Damascus and Alexandria as its next routes due to the popularity of the destinations among the expatriate population in the UAE and because the cities are attractive to holidaymakers looking for a short summer break.

Fares will be from AED 350 to Alexandria and from AED 300 to Damascus one way from Dubai. The seat price includes all taxes and a generous hand baggage allowance of 10kgs. When travelling with flydubai, passengers only have to pay for the optional extras they choose, such as checked bags of up to 32kgs each, seat selection and any desired food and beverages.

flydubai’s CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said further routes would be launched in quick succession and several announcements have been planned for the coming weeks. “The response when we launched our first routes to Amman and Beirut was phenomenal. We were inundated with calls from travelers checking flight availability as soon as the website went live.”

“Our aim is to establish and strengthen our presence in the region’s budget travel sector and we will be quickly adding new destinations and expanding our reach for tourists as well as the large working expatriate population across the region,” Ghaith added.

The airline will issue each passenger with a boarding pass once the booking has been paid for, eliminating the need for e-tickets or paper tickets. Mr. Ghaith believes that this is an excellent time to introduce these routes. “Egypt and Syria are extremely popular destinations, especially for short breaks and many busy business professionals want to use the slower summer months to spend time with their families. We are delighted to add these two destinations so soon after Beirut and Amman and look forward to a flurry of bookings in the days to come,” he said.

The new airline will operate from an enhanced and modernised Terminal 2 on the north side of Dubai International Airport. Further destinations will be announced, all of which will be within 4.5 hours flying time of Dubai. flydubai will operate Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft on all routes, each with 189 economy class seats.