Dubai International’s passenger traffic is set to receive a boost following the launch of services by two new airlines, the addition of a new destination and an increase in frequency of existing services, in the second quarter of 2009.

Dubai International welcomed Toumai Air Tchad, a private airline that is also the national carrier of the Republic of Chad in Africa, on April 23, while the Hainan Airlines from China is scheduled to launch its service to Dubai from May 25.

Jet Airways, which started services to Dubai last summer and has daily flights to Mumbai and Delhi, has launched a new route (Chennai), while adding another daily flight to Mumbai from April 23.

Commenting on the growth, Paul Griffiths, the CEO of Dubai Airports, said that the arrival of new airlines and the expansion of the airport’s destination network has remained consistent throughout the years and is indicative of Dubai’s firmly established position as a regional hub.

'The fact that we continue to welcome new airlines and experience a steady expansion of our network across six continents, even during a time when international travel has been severely affected by the global economic situation, is a testimony to the attraction Dubai holds internationally for business and tourism,' he added.

'Our latest additions – both airlines and destinations, are part of emerging markets such as China, India and Africa and this certainly bodes well for the economy in the long run,' Griffiths added.

Toumai Chad will fly every Thursday from N’djamena to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and onward to Dubai arriving at Terminal 2. Hainan Airlines will fly four flights weekly from Beijing to Dubai and onward to Luanda, the capital city of Angola.

With the launch of its additional services, Jet Airways now operates four daily flights to Dubai.

Announcing the introduction of additional flight to Mumbai and the new flight to Chennai, Abraham Joseph, senior general manager of Jet Airways said, “Jet Airways has already established itself as a formidable brand in the intensely competitive Gulf - India sector in a relatively short period of time, on account of the warmth of its service and quality of its in-flight product.

'We are confident that the new Dubai-Chennai service will prove similarly popular with passengers. Our focus remains on strategic growth that meets travellers' needs by offering the best schedules, more choice of destinations for their convenience,' he noted.

'All of us at Jet Airways are also extremely proud to start our second flight from Dubai to Mumbai. In view of the current economic situation, Jet Airways always has and will remain committed to this region by offering our customers a wider choice of destinations and convenient timings,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service