Sharjah's first private airline, Pluto Airlines, will begin operations this month, its chairperson and managing director, Shaikha Sayad Al Qasimi has said.
The airline which was launched last month by the Al Fahem Group will operate its first flight to Muscat, Shaikha Sayad said. Pluto Airlines has promised quality passenger and cargo services at competitive fares. The main objective of starting the airline was to provide convenient travel facilities to residents here and to promote the emirate as a tourist destination, said Shaikha Sayad. A plan to introduce Sharjah's national carrier is also underway but has been delayed. "We named our company Pluto Airlines because the name 'Sharjah' is reserved for the national carrier, currently under study," she said. "The airline will initially commence visa change flights with a frequency of one a day. Very soon, we will start our major operation on the Sharjah-Senegal-Sharjah route. Ours will be the first airline in the world which will operate direct flights on this sector," she said. Shaikh Fahem bin Mohammed Khalid Al Qasimi, chairman of the airline, said the decision to operate to Senegal was made after a comprehensive study, which showed good passenger and cargo demand on this sector. He said the next target would be flights from Sharjah to Iran, and thereafter to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. "We will start flights from Sharjah to Pakistan before going to India and other countries in the region," he said. Pluto will initially commence operations with one Boeing 737 aircraft, gradually increasing its fleet with the introduction of new routes, subject to market demand. He added that cargo operation would commence in the second phase.