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$750m aircraft funding anounced by flydubai

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SINCE its launch, flydubai has completed one year in operation with almost one million passenger bookings and more than 750,000 passengers to date.

And the airline recently announced aircraft financing worth more than $750m in deals with GECAS (General Electric Capital Aviation Services) and BBAM.

The financing will take care of the next nine aircraft flydubai is due to receive and secures all the airline’s financing requirements until June 2011.

CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “We already have agreements in place with both GECAS and BBAM and it is clear from their willingness to enter into further ties with us that they have been pleased with what flydubai has delivered so far. These are some of the largest aircraft financers in the world and their faith in flydubai is a huge endorsement of us and our success since our launch.”

Continuing its expansion plans, the airline recently announced its 24th destination to the western Russian city of Samara.

Flights to Samara will begin on October 20 and will follow hot on the heels of flydubai’s first flight to Russia, which will be to Yekaterinburg on October 16.

Al Ghaith said: “Traffic between Russia and Dubai is developing and we at flydubai are pleased to be playing our part in ensuring business and leisure travellers from both countries can discover the benefits of travel between our two nations.

“The introduction of flydubai’s direct service to Samara provides an option for travellers to the Samara Oblast region, which is an important area near the river Volga.”

flydubai currently has a fleet of eight brand new Boeing 737-800 NG aircrafts with a year end average aircraft utilisation at 14 and a half hours. This would make flydubai the industry leader for an airline operating a 737-800 and is one of the ways the airline ensures low fares for its customers.

In the coming months, the budget carrier is expecting to receive a further five aircraft and will fly to more than 20 destinations by the end of this year, further strengthening its network. 

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