RAK Airways, the national carrier of Ras Al Khaimah, on Sunday re-launched its scheduled services to Saudi city, Jeddah and South Indian city of Kozhikode. The airline will operate four weekly flights on these sectors.

A water cannon salute marked the departure of the first RAK Airways flight to Jeddah, which took off from Ras Al Khaimah airport at 8am today, while the first flight to Kozhikode will leave tonight at 10.15pm.

According to RAK Airways CEO Omar Jahameh, the airline’s first two destinations were carefully chosen.

'Jeddah is the gateway to Saudi Arabia’s holiest sites and we expect a steady stream of traffic there, not least for those wishing to perform Umrah or Haj.'

'Calicut is the natural gateway to the Indian state of Kerala from where so many of the UAE’s expatriate workforce originate; and I am confident that the re-birth of RAK Airways should strengthen ties between Kerala and Ras Al Khaimah, allowing families and individuals alike to travel home more frequently,' he added.

The Jeddah flights will operate on Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving RAK International Airport at 8am and arriving in Jeddah at 10am.

The flights to Kozhikode will be on Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays leaving RAK International Airport at 10.15pm and arriving at Calicut aiport at 3.35am

“Since the re-launch of our website (www.rakairways.com) in September, booking numbers have been extremely positive, with word travelling fast about our ‘Small Fares, Big Deals’ offering, remarked Jahameh.

“We received over 400 bookings within four hours of the website’s unveiling, and interest in our routes and offering has continued to be overwhelming since the announcement of our re-launch last month,” Jahameh added.

RAK Airways is positioning itself in the niche market between the well-established commercial airlines and the more recently established low cost carriers.

Although fares are extremely competitive, starting at just Dh10, RAK Airways are focused on providing a value offering that differentiates it from the low cost carriers.

Included in the price of each RAK Airways flight is a full hot meal and beverages on-board all flights, a baggage allowance of 30kg per passenger as well as the normal hand baggage allowance and free shuttle service between the neighbouring emirates for each flight.

Also on show for the first time was the new livery of RAK Airways, reflecting the new spirit of the airline - upbeat, full of character, fun and friendly.-TradeArabia News Service