flydubai, Dubai's innovative low-cost airline, has inaugurated services to its latest destination – Malé, the capital of the Maldives. The inaugural flight, FZ561, departed Dubai Terminal 2 at 0035hrs on Jan. 20, arriving at Malé International Airport (Ibrahim Nasir International Airport) at 0620hrs local time. A water cannon salute and delegation of senior Maldivian state officials received the aircraft and flydubai's Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith on the runway. Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said: “The start of flydubai's flights open our wonderful nation to a wider number of tourists, while also offering affordable fares to Dubai for our residents. Through this regular service, we look forward to welcoming travellers from a wider range of destinations and continuing to develop our tourism appeal.” Al Ghaith said: “Launching flights to Malé is a great start to the year as we introduce our affordable fares and innovative onboard services to a new market. I am confident that the Maldives will prove attractive to passengers from across our network, particularly those in the GCC and CIS regions who can transit easily through Dubai's aviation hub.” Furthering its commitment to enhancing passenger experience, flydubai has become the first airline to offer daily updated digital newspapers through its In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system. The eReader platform provides access to 45 newspapers in seven languages from across the globe in pdf format. Patrick Préfontaine, President of DTI Solutions, the airline industry's leading provider of in-flight digital reading software which supplied flydubai's eReader, said: “We're delighted to have helped flydubai achieve this historic project. We truly believe that eReader solutions are strategic for airlines to provide their passengers with relevant and engaging content, while benefiting from the noted advantages of digital content such as weight and cost reductions, compared to paper-based media onboard.” Joining flydubai in the Maldives were representatives from Boeing, who delivered the airline's latest 737-800 aircraft in December 2012. — SG
