Norwegian to up its Dubai services for winter

Privately owned low-cost carrier Norwegian will increase its four-days-a week timetable for flights from Scandinavia to Dubai to a daily service during the winter season 2009-10, Gulf News has reported.

"This obviously shows the increased interest for the UAE among Scandinavians for both business and pleasure," Erik Furu, First Secretary in the Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The carrier, which commenced Dubai flights last autumn, will fly three times weekly from Oslo and Stockholm each and once weekly from Copenhagen starting from October 15.

Norwegian is targeting a mixture of business and leisure customers on these routes, Furu said, and "it also provides UAE residents with a non-stop low-cost possibility to visit Europe's High North."

Norwegian describes itself as the fourth largest low-cost airline in Europe and the second-largest airline in Scandinavia.

In 2008, it transported 9.1 million people on 150 routes to 82 destinations, covering Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.