Private airline Rotana Jet on Wednesday became the first UAE airline, which launched domestic flight operations to connect Abu Dhabi and Fujairah. The twice daily flights have opened up new avenues of tourism and business in Fujairah, whose 0.5 million Emiratis can now fly from Abu Dhabi also. At present they use Dubai and Sharjah airports for their international travels. It was first scheduled flight for Fujairah airport, which is situated on the Indian ocean. The emirate’s resorts are popular with not only local tourists but also with foreigner, who come here on charter flights. In 2011, about one million tourists spent their holidays in Fujairah enjoying the sunny beaches and water sports. There are five 5-star hotels in the emirate and same number of resorts catering to the needs of the visitors. About five more resorts are under development, keeping in view the rising demand. Flying at an altitude of 11,000 feet, it took 35 minutes for Rotana Jet’s Embraer ERJ145 aircraft to land at Fujairah International Airport, after taking off from Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal 2 at 10am. The inaugural flight was welcomed by the two water cannons, who splashed water on the aircraft in a traditional style. At the airport Mohammed A. Alsalami, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation of Fujairah, welcomed the first flight carrying officials and media members. “The flight will depart at 10.00am and 6.00pm daily,” said Rajendran Vellapalath, commercial and planning director at Rotana Jet. He said that he is preparing for the next project, which will take his airline to the garden city of Al Ain on September 26. Asked on the feed back from the market so far, he put the seat factor at 60 per cent on average, which will pick up gradually. After Al Ain, Rotana Jet will fly to Sharjah from Abu Dhabi International Airport. The airline has selected two Embraer ERJ145, which has the seating capacity of 50 passengers, for its domestic flight operations. Tickets can be purchased online or from local travel agents, as well as from the counters at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Last week, Vellapalath said the flight frequencies on domestic routes will be increased to three-flight-a-day in the next phase. However, there is no immediate plans of expanding beyond the borders, he added. The airline on June 2 began its service on Dalma Island and Sir Bani Yas in Abu Dhabi to fill the demand gap created by the growing number of travellers on the two sectors, which include local residents and tourists on Dalma Island. From khaleejtimes