DUBAI & BEIRUT — The Brazilian captain is introduced by our Australian first officer, along with the cabin crew from Egypt, Russia, Khazakstan and India. You can converse with them in nine different languages: Russian, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Arabic and English. It sounds like it could be a United Nations charter for the world’s diplomats, but it’s not, it’s Flydubai, the United Arab Emirates’ new low-cost carrier.
As the unofficial capital of the globalized world, Dubai is the poster child for the planet’s seemingly insatiable appetite for commercial aircraft. While Emirates, the better known flag carrier of the Emirate of Dubai, is by far the largest airline in the region as the planet’s largest 777 operator and its global ambitions with its mega backlog of 90 A380s and 80 A350. Its long range aircraft connect distant points through its Middle East mega-hub.
Emirates and its world famous full-service premium classes may stand in contrast to all-economy the Flydubai and its 13 737-800s with 189-seats, the most the type can accommodate. But Flydubai doesn’t want you confusing low-cost with low-quality, debuting two passenger pleasing industry firsts: The Boeing Sky Interior and Lumexis ‘Fiber-to-the-seat’ (FTTS) in-flight entertainment system.
While their base of operations may be the same, Flydubai exists in a world that is separate, yet inextricably linked to Emirates. “We are one family…for the good of the country and the customer,” says Flydubai’s CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith.
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This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.