The airline will operate four flights per week each to Jeddah and southern Indian city of Kozhikode.

“Jeddah is the gateway to Saudi Arabia’s holiest sites and we expect a steady stream of traffic there, not least for those wishing to perform Umrah or Haj,” said Chief Executive Omar Jahameh in the statement.

Kozhikode was chosen as the gateway to South Indian state Kerala, home to a large number of UAE’s expatriate workforce, he said.

The carrier, which aims to differentiate itself from competition by offering lower fares, said it had received over 400 bookings within four hours of restarting its website.

RAK Airways, based in the UAE’s most northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, had suspended operations in May 2009 due to tough economic conditions in the wake of the global financial crisis.