New airline to fly from the UK to Dubai and Vienna - 3rd November 2008

A group of entrepreneurs are defying the economic downturn by pressing ahead with the launch of a new airline.

Air Sylhet will fly to the Austrian capital Vienna before connecting on to Dubai, with services operating out of London Stansted and Manchester airports. Flights from both airports to Dubai need to go through Vienna because the airline has based its operating company in the Austrian capital to secure traffic rights more easily.

Its launch comes at a challenging time for the industry, following the recent collapse of a number of high-profile carriers including XL Airways and Zoom Airlines.

From November 9, Air Sylhet will fly to Vienna and Dubai twice a week on Monday and Thursday from Stansted, and once a week on Friday from Manchester.

Chairman Kabir Khan acknowledged that the company was "bucking the trend," but insisted that it would succeed because of its focus on high standards and affordable airfares. He said he was confident the potential market for the new service was huge, even in the current economic climate and believed it could exploit a gap in the market by targeting destinations poorly served by other airlines.

"We are not looking to compete with low-frills airlines," he said. "We are concentrating on a more distinct approach of safe, value-driven, point-to-point services which provide consistent, reliable products and fares."

The new carrier has also revealed its intentions to fly to Bangladesh as of next year.

Simon Conn, Sales and Marketing Director of Conti Financial Services, which specialises in mortgages in Dubai says:
“This is good news at a time of uncertainty in aviation and a move which will be welcomed by the many people who have bought property in Dubai. Low interest rates and the introduction of new property ownership laws are enabling the property market in Dubai to thrive and this is reflected in the levels of interest it’s experiencing.”