Dubai's new low cost airline has been named "FlyDubai" and the brand identity and livery for FlyDubai will be unveiled, in the coming months.

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has approved the name FlyDubai from a shortlist presented by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of the new low cost airline.

Sheikh Ahmed said: "FlyDubai is a simple, yet powerful call to action. It makes an immediate link to our core business, which is providing no-frills flights to bring people to and from Dubai. The name also carries a strong association with the city of Dubai, itself a brand synonymous with excellence, reliability and an international, pro-business approach.

"FlyDubai's operations will potentially cover an area of some two billion inhabitants. It will support Dubai's commercial and tourism sectors by serving a new set of travellers, and providing them with affordable air links to popular, high-demand destinations. A lot of ground work has been done thus far, and I'm pleased to note that FlyDubai is on track to launch its first flights by mid-2009."

FlyDubai will initially focus on regional flights within the GCC area and surrounding countries. Its operations will be entirely separate from Emirates Airline and Group.

Ghaith al Ghaith, Chief Executive, FlyDubai said: "Since the government announced the formation of Dubai's new low cost airline in March, it has been all systems go. We are recruiting for key positions, evaluating aircraft options and routes, working out our pricing and distribution strategy, and putting in place the structure and operational resources for the business.

"Efficiency is the pillar of our business model. In terms of our customer proposition, we will focus on keeping things simple and flexible. We want to make it easy for our customers to interact with us, and to have more control in how they book, purchase and select value-added services to their basic flight experience.

"It has been a busy time, but everything is going to plan. The selection of a name for the airline is only the first of many milestones to come, and we look forward to announcing more details over the coming months."

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