Saleh Fareed

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Dubai's innovative low cost airline is looking forward to expand its operations to more airports in the Kingdom, a top official said.



"I believe that Saudi Arabia is one of the largest and leading aviation markets in the Middle East region, and there is definitely a potential for adding more capacity there," flydubai's CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) exhibition, which was held recently.



His remarks came as flydubai was presented at the exhibition with its new technologies and services, in particular, its In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system with HD films, now from all the six major Hollywood studios.



Speaking exclusively to Saudi Gazette at the ATM, he praised Civil Aviation authorities in Saudi Arabia for their continued support as flydubai now serves nine destinations. "We got more than what we expected in Saudi Arabia and we are very grateful to the Saudi authorities for helping us connect Dubai to underserved destinations in the Kingdom,” Al Ghaith said.



He pointed out that Saudi Arabia is a major international aviation hub and the Kingdom long had all the necessary infrastructure and ingredients in place to meet this ambitious target — the largest population of potential travelers in the region, and the Middle East's biggest economy.



He emphasized that flydubai is committed to better serve the Saudi market and will continue to offer enormous choice for customers seeking to travel from Saudi Arabia to the UAE.



He said, “In addition to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, flydubai also now serves six secondary destinations in Saudi Arabia to Hail, Abha, Qassim, Taif, Tabuk and Yanbu. We are currently the only carrier linking Dubai with any of these destinations in Saudi Arabia.”



The carrier currently has a fleet of 29 Boeing aircraft. “By the end of the year we will reach 34 aircrafts and by 2015 will have around 50 aircraft." He added.



He announced that flydubai would launch seven new flights before the end of the year, on top of their seven new routes already announced in 2013.



“To expand we need new aircraft, something we have planned for and we also need government-approved access to new destinations,” he said.



Regarding competitions from other budget airlines, Al Ghaith said that competition is good for the industry and even better for the consumer. “Giving passengers a choice of airline keeps us on our toes, therefore we need to work hard to win customer’s patronage,” he said.



Speaking about the challenges of running a low-cost carrier, Al Ghaith said  “Business has developed in a way that if you’re not very efficient, you are sure to lose out.”



Asked if the Arab spring has affected flydubai’s business, he said “Despite the recent political upheavals of the Arab Spring and stiff competition from neighboring full service carriers, commercially, flydubai  has continued to perform.”



Al Ghaith concluded: “Looking ahead, we expect next year to be another busy year. We have already announced 14 new destinations in the first quarter and have more to come. We will receive six new aircraft this year, which will allow us to expand our network further to provide even more low-cost links from underserved destinations to Dubai and beyond.”



Al Ghaith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona, US. He was recently awarded Personal Achievement of the Year at the Aviation Business Awards 2011, plus Aviation CEO of the Year at both the 2011 and 2009 CEO Middle East Awards.



At the helm of flydubai since its inception on 1 June 2009, he has brought together a dynamic team to build a fleet of 28 Boeing 737-800 aircraft flying to a route network that spans more than 50 destinations across the Middle East, North Africa, Subcontinent, Asia – and more recently, Central & Eastern Europe.