New UAE carrier Eastern Express delays launch but eyes destinations in Gulf, Africa and India

The UAE is the aviation powerhouse of the Gulf. The country's five existing main passenger airlines - Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, flydubai and RAK Airways - operate a remarkable 283 aircraft, with another 407 on order. Yet, despite the scope of the UAE's aviation ambitions, the country does not have a scheduled domestic operator.

Enter Eastern Express. The start-up airline, based in the small emirate of Fujairah on the UAE's eastern coast, plans to become the country's first scheduled domestic operator and its targeting a launch during 1Q2012 before expanding to international cities. The UAE's existing scheduled carriers do not operate domestic services.