June 1 - Dubai’s low-cost carrier, Flydubai, is celebrating its first anniversary today when its inaugural flight was launched. Despite concerns that the airline would not survive in an already suffering aviation industry, the airline has managed to capture more passengers than a conventional airline.
Starting with Beirut, Flydubai has added 15 more routes during the year. Recently, the airline started services to Colombo and will soon start flights to Lucknow, India. "Two years ago, there was nothing. The airline was a piece of paper," Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive of Flydubai, said yesterday. "Now we have an airline with 16 destinations and, on June 23, there will be 21 destinations. We're almost maturing."
With 50 Boeing 737-800 aircraft on order, Flydubai will take delivery of its ninth aircraft this month.