Budget airline creates new flights to India

The budget airline flydubai makes its move on the huge Indian air travel market by announcing its first three destinations to the country.

The budget airline flydubai made its move on the huge Indian air travel market on Wednesday by announcing its first three destinations to the country, less than four weeks after its first flight left Dubai International Airport. Next month, the carrier owned by the Dubai Government will start flying to the northern cities of Lucknow, Coimbatore and Chandigarth, giving the airline an initial network of eight cities.

The destinations mark the first in a series of new routes to India. More than one million residents and labourers from India live in the Emirates. "India is a very important market," said Ghaith al Ghaith, the chief executive of flydubai. "We are looking forward to a long and successful future serving the needs of customers between the two countries." Flights to Lucknow will begin on July 13, services to Coimbatore start on July 14, and those to Chandigarth will be launched on July 23.

In a first for the Middle East, flydubai will offer a baseline low fare and seek additional revenue by charging for services such as checking baggage, including Dh40 (US$10.89) for the first bag and Dh100 for the second. Seat selection costs Dh5 and seats with extra legroom cost Dh50. [e-mail]