New UAE budget airline’s launch postponed

DUBAI, UAE – The launch of a new airline that would fly daily between Fujairah and Abu Dhabi has been delayed.

DUBAI, UAE – The launch of a new airline that would fly daily between Fujairah and Abu Dhabi has been delayed.

Eastern Express was expected to have its first flight this month, but owing to a โ€œglitchโ€ in the paperwork submitted to the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) that could be a while longer, said Alex de Vos, the chief executive.

โ€œWe are still going ahead for a first quarter launch,โ€ he said. โ€œWe were intending for an earlier start, but thatโ€™s not going to happen now.โ€

The privately owned airline was planning to launch a twice-daily service between the two emirates, a 200km journey. A one-way ticket would have cost Dh645.

Mr de Vos said the problem was over the leasing of a propeller aircraft. โ€œThatโ€™s not something the GCAA is fond of us doing as long as we donโ€™t hold national carrier status, which we donโ€™t,โ€ said Mr de Vos.

โ€œWeโ€™re looking at different options right now. Buying an aircraft would turn around our business plan completely.

โ€œItโ€™s a two-way thing and hopefully it will be resolved in the next few weeks. The moment the GCA approves our paperwork, two weeks later weโ€™ll be ready to fly.โ€

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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