Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum (L), c

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum (L), chairman of Dubai Airports, Emirates Airlines and the new flydubai budget airline, and Ghaith al-Ghaith, flydubai's chief executive, take their seats before announcing on April 6, 2009 the launch of the Gulf emirate's first budget airline which will be taking to the skies in two months despite the global financial crisis. Flydubai will start with flights to the Lebanese capital Beirut on June 1 and to Jordan's capital Amman on June 2, Sheikh Ahmed told reporters. Dubai owns the largest Middle East carrier, Emirates, and has the busiest airport in the region which handled more than 37 million passengers in 2008, a nine percent increase from 2007. AFP PHOTO/KARIM SAHIB (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)