(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The nation's first domestic airline will begin its operations from September 19 when it begins flights to Fujairah.
The former chairman of Etihad Airways, Dr Shaikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, announced the launch of his new venture Rotana Jet, with a fleet of two ERJ145s.
The man who ran Gulf Air for four years before founding Etihad, as well as heading the Abu Dhabi Civil Aviation Authority for some time, hinted that another aircraft will join the fleet next month, while the fourth one will be added later in the year. Next year will see the fleet's expansion to 12 brand-new aircraft acquired through leasing.
The double flight operations to Fujairah will be followed by a service to Al Ain on September 26.
"Flights to Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah will follow soon," Dr Al Nahyan said.
On a service between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, he said he was "considering" it.
Tickets can be purchased online or from local travel agents, as well as from the counters at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.
The airline on June 2 began its service on Dalma Island and Sir Bani Yas in Abu Dhabi to fill the demand gap created by the growing number of travellers on the two sectors, which include local residents and tourists on Dalma Island. The aircraft takes off from Abu Dhabi's downtown Al Bateen Airport. But flights to Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah will fly from Abu Dhabi International Airport's Terminal 2.
And in order to make the shortest possible check-in time, the passengers will not have to go through the immigration and customs routine procedures, taking only five minutes to board the aircraft.
For a hassle-free travel, "there will be no complextities involved in the check-ins," Ahmed Al Haddabi, chief operating officer of the Abu Dhabi Airport Company, told Khaleej Times.
The one-way fare to Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah will start from Dh200, "inclusive of everything," Dr Al Nahyan said. The passengers will not be served meals due to the short duration of the flight. However, beverages and water will be offered, commercial and planning director Rajendran Vellapalath told Khaleej Times.
Embraer aircraft will be used on the network, which has the seating capacity of 50 passengers.
The flight time to Fujairah and Al Ain will be 30 mintues, while it will take 25 mintues to fly to Sharjah, he said.
The travel time to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah by road is five to six hours from Abu Dhabi, which will be cut down to 45-60 mintues, Vellapalath said.
Dr Al Nahyan said the airline will be "competiting with buses and taxis" to these destinations.
"There is a strong demand on these routes according to the market surveys," Vellapalath said. He expected between 60-70 per cent seats to be filled on the aircraft in the initial months of operations, which will grow gradually.
On future plans of the private airline, Vellapalath said the flight frequencies on these routes will be increased to three-flight-a-day in the next phase. However, there is no immediate plans of expanding beyond the borders.
On the sucessful business operations, he said Dalma Island, a destination inhabited by 8,000 Emiratis and expatriates, is also visited by tourists, which has made the load factor ranging between 60-70 per cent. Sir Bani Yas, a tourist destination is even more stronger with 80 per cent seats filled, he said.
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