Dubai is throwing caution to the downturn wind by announcing it is launching its first low-cost carrier on 1 June.

Flydubai will start flying from Dubai to the Lebanese capital Beirut on 1 June and to Jordan’s capital Amman on 2 June, company chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum announced at a press conference.“We are committed to bringing a new option to the market and to growing the region’s budget air travel business,” Sheikh Ahmed said at a press conference.

“This will benefit our economy, our people, and tourism business as a whole.”

It will operate two next-generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft on both the Beirut and Amman routes, Sheikh Ahmed said.

Dubai first announced the establishment of flydubai in March 2008. It will be based at Dubai Airport, operating from Terminal Two.

Other budget airlines operating in the region include Air Arabia of Sharjah, Jazeera Airways of Kuwait, Nas of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain Air.

Flydubai is being launched with a start-up capital of 250 million dirhams (£45m).
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