Flydubai is on course to make its first profit this year as the low-cost carrier aims to dramatically expand its fleet to 50 planes in four years, says a report in the National.

The airline, which was founded in March 2008 by the Government of Dubai and began flying in June 2009, was likely to leave the red for the first time, said its chief executive, Ghaith Al Ghaith.

Flydubai currently flies to 51 destinations and has earmarked 20 more possible routes for the next few years.

Flydubai signed an order worth US$3.78 billion (Dh13.88bn) with Boeing for 50 planes in 2008.

Last month the airline took delivery of the first of three Boeing 737-800NG aircraft. The next two aircraft will arrive this month and in December, taking the total fleet to 28 aircraft. It will add six more aircraft next year and a further 22 aircraft by 2016.

Airline jobs beckoning

With FlyDubai adding 11 aircraft in the next 12 months, there are likely to be pilot and flight crew and back office jobs. Why not get in early and give them a call to find out when these jobs may be advertised?

Dubai has confirmed its place among the world’s most visited tourist spots, with the emirate’s airport reporting double figure growth in visitor numbers, according to a report by Scottish Passport.com

Figures released by owner Dubai Airports showed 12.8% growth in footfall at Dubai International during September, 2012 compared to the same period last year.

In total, 4,780,394 travellers passed through the airport – the busiest in the UAE.

Much of the growth has come from international events that have taken place in the Middle Eastern city, announced Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO.

Where tourists come jobs will follow

This continuing growth in visitors to Dubai promises continuing growth in hospitality jobs in Dubai, once again confirming Dubai to be a prime destination to start or continue your hospitality career.

The United Arab Emirates ranked 4th among 62 countries worldwide in terms of financial stability, according to the latest World Economic Forum Financial Development Report 2012 released today.

This report is based on several criteria, the third of which is financial stability. The economy of Saudi Arabia ranked first, Switzerland 2nd and Singapore ranked third.

Despite the financial instability in many other parts of the world the Gulf States benefit from having strong policies and regulatory institutions reports the Dubai Chronicle. In fact, the UAE was ranked 1st in terms of the efficiency of its tax regime and 4th in terms of the stability of its banking system and 16th in terms in of its corporate governance.

So, if you are an expatriate or Emirati looking to build a long career, then Dubai is one of the best places in the world to be doing it at the moment.

We wrote recently about a report in The National which outlined the fact that small and medium sized businesses in the UAE apparently have a “substandard” presence on the web. The study was carried out by Local Media, an on-line directories company in Dubai.

Results were surprising

What the study found was that less than 12,000 of 100,000 firms that they looked at actually had an internet presence. Of the group of companies who actually have a website, many of these are missing critical features such as easy-to-find contact information or links to social media sites and many of them were not search engined optimized. The survey was extensive and took into account 90 different factors when evaluating the website.

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Small and medium businesses in the UAE have a “substandard” presence on the internet, according to a survey by Local Media, an on-line directories company based in Dubai.

Fewer than 12,000 of 100,000 companies examined actually have a presence on the Web, the survey found. Of those that do have a website, many omit key features such as prominent contact information or links to social media sites, while others were not optimised to be found by search engines.

The importance of social media was underlined by a separate study by eMarketer. It found that 70.2 per cent of internet users in the Middle East and Africa will use social media this year.

Great Job Opportunity

This news highlights a great opportunity for Dubai based job seekers with skills in web design, marketing and social media. Why not approach these companies with a poor web presence and offer your services to them for a week to prepare their website and social media presence? It could be the foot in the door to a new career.

The number of high-tech businesses launching in the UAE is forecast to quickly rise through 2015, encouraged by strong internet use and political stability, reports the UAE national.

About 96 technology-focused start-ups were expected to launch from the Emirates this year, and this was forecast to rise to 185 each year over the next three years, according to a report by Dubai Internet City and the consultancy Frost & Sullivan.

Aside from start-ups, Dubai has also attracted some of the world’s largest high-tech businesses. Both Facebook and LinkedIn launched regional offices at Dubai Internet City this year.

The prospects are bright for technology graduates and professionals looking for employment in Dubai’s technology sector.

Also, if you have a great  idea for an IT business or a start-up, the Majid Bin Mohammed Innovation Center in5, an IT start-up incubator based in Dubai Internet City, can provide advice on how to get started.