Dubai's first low-cost airline, Flydubai, which started a new service between Hyderabad and Dubai, is looking out to launch services from other destinations in the country and has sought approval for fresh capacity from India.
The thrice-weekly service on the Hyderabad-Dubai route is the airline's second in India, after its Lucknow-Dubai flight. The new route now expands its network to 37 operational destinations across the West Asia, Asia, Africa and the fringes of Europe.
Mr Ghaith Al Ghaith, Flydubai CEO, said the airline was willing to launch new routes to connect regional airports that had the required capacity and infrastructure. “We look at the whole of India as a market. Any city is fine with us,” he told newspersons here on Wednesday.
A one-way fare from Hyderabad to Dubai starts from Rs 8,000, while checked baggage starts at Rs 650 and a seat with extra legroom can be had for Rs 1,250.
Competitive fares
Mr Ghaith said the airline wasable to keep its fare competitive due to various steps to reduce operational costs by almost 30-40 per cent. “With our entire fleet consisting of new Boeing aircraft, we have lower maintenance costs. Also, the winglets of our aircraft help reduce fuel consumption, while our ticket booking through the Web saves administrative costs,” he said.
The airline is looking at coordinating with other agencies to reduce the turnaround time at airports to bring down costs further and pass on the benefit to passengers. “Turnaround time presents a huge scope for savings,” he said.
Flydubai, which has a fleet of 17 Boeing aircraft, is inducting four more this fiscal.
Mr Sultan Al Owais, the UAE Ambassador to India, said trade between India and UAE grew from $180 million in the 1970s to $43.4 billion last year. “The addition of such direct and affordable flights will help the bi-lateral trade to grow further,” he said.