MID EAST'S FIRST NO-FRILLS AIRLINE SET TO TAKE OFF IN SHARJAH IN DECEMBER

Dubai - 9th May 2003 The Middle East's first no-frills airline, menaJet, is to be launched in Sharjah in December, it was announced today. The carrier to be based at Sharjah International Airport will operate low fare scheduled services, initially utilising two Airbus A320 aircraft each fitted with 162 single class seats. The principal shareholders in menaJet are Gulf Finance House and the Al Zamil Group.

"Every region in the world has its own no-frills airlines. It's time for Middle East travellers to have the benefits of low fares, transparency and a friendly efficient service," said Mazen Hajjar, General Manager, menaJet.

"We will be a safe and reliable high-frequency operator using the highly successful Southwest Airlines and Ryanair business models to offer passengers a greater choice." menaJet will target growth in intra-Arab travel. Preliminary figures for 2002, issued by the Airports Council International, which monitors passenger and cargo movements at 760 of the world's major airports, show that although passenger numbers were down 3% in North America and flat in Europe, the Middle East recorded growth of 5% last year.

"menaJet will focus predominantly on high-density destinations with year-round opportunity. Our customers will range from regular travellers, such as expatriates and people with regional holiday homes, to business people and those looking for short holiday breaks." Hajjar said it was too early to reveal details of which routes the airline will serve. However, he said, the intention was to fly passengers to a number of major regional destinations in relative comfort.

"Our aircraft will be configured in such a way that seats will have a 32 inch pitch, giving passengers more leg room than that found in other no-frills airlines," said Hajjar. menaJet is confident the commercial success of bargain-fare airlines in the United States and Europe can be repeated in the Middle East.

"Low fares create and expand travel markets. People who wouldn't normally consider flying are attracted by the low cost of the tickets. Elsewhere in the world the introduction of these airlines has led to a doubling of the number of passengers on routes within three years," said Hajjar. menaJet will keep its costs down by outsourcing support services, such as aircraft maintenance and engineering to strategic partners. It won't offer free in-flight meals or entertainment and will encourage people to book tickets on-line or through call centres, helping to keep administrative costs low.

"Eventually we plan to establish our Internet web site as a travel portal, through which passengers can not only book their flights but also their hotel accommodation, car hire and other travel related services," said Hajjar. -keralamonitor.com

Al Jazeera to combat 'boycott' with new Income Sources

DUBAI: Qatar's Al Jazeera satellite news channel is in talks about using its trademark on luxury items as part of a diversification of income sources aimed at countering the "economic siege" clamped on it. "It is the worst kept secret that Al Jazeera has been subjected to a de facto economic boycott since the early days of its existence" in November 1996, communications and media relations manager Jihad Ali Ballout said in Doha.

His remarks came days after Al Jazeera, which has emerged as a rival to international media giants but whose no-holds-barred coverage has also sparked rows between Qatar and several Arab governments lost an appeal in a lawsuit against an advertising agency for terminating a five-year contract after one year.

Ballout said Al Jazeera had 35 million viewers in the Arab world and 8 m subscribers in Europe, and was also accessible in some150 , 000US households. "Usually, advertising spent is a function of economics. When it comes to Al Jazeera in the Middle East, it has become a function of politics and personal interest," Ballout charged.

The network had consequently "diversified sources of income" to the point of becoming "almost self-financing in terms of our annual operating budget of approximately $ 30million," Al Jazeera's communications chief said.

These additional revenue sources include subscription fees outside the Arab world, sale of footage to other international news organisations, sale of programmes to the general public through videos and the like, and the turning of some programs and documentaries into books. -keralamonitor.com