The new facility is located in Al Shindagha in the Al Fahidi area of Dubai. The opening of this latest facility brings the total number of City Check-in facilities in the UAE available to Air Arabia customers to 12, spread across the whole country.聽

The new facility allows customers to drop off their bags with the airline and obtain their boarding passes up to 24 hours before their flights and up to eight hours before their scheduled departure time. The new location will also include a convenient bus transfer service which will connect the Shindagha City Centre City Check-in facility with Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) which is due to commence in the coming weeks. 

The new facility operates daily from 10:00 to 22:00. Customers are also able to purchase additional baggage allowance, select preferred seats, or adjust their flight plans at the facility.聽

Air Arabia passengers flying from Sharjah International Airport can visit any of the City Check-in facilities located in Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Ajman, while passengers traveling with the carrier from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) can use the airline精东影业 City Check-in facility in Abu Dhabi.聽聽

According to a statement by the carrier, the provision of such facilities for its customers 鈥渋s intended to streamline the pre-flight procedure, save time, and eliminate airport waits, allowing passengers to continue straight to their flight upon arrival at the airport.鈥� 

As part of its ongoing growth strategy and dedication to quality, the debut of the new City Check-In facility is 鈥渃onsistent with the airline’s commitment to providing affordable and value-added solutions that meet its customers’ evolving needs.鈥澛犅�

While it is unusual for low-cost carriers to provide such added-value 鈥渇rills鈥� as downtown check-in facilities, Air Arabia has seen an opportunity to do so. While providing the service helps the carrier steal a march over its rivals in terms of customer service, the airline also certainly almost makes a cost saving by processing passengers off-airport, rather than paying a handling agent to provide such services within the busy airport terminal setting.聽聽

Air Arabia operates a fleet of 45 Airbus A320 family aircraft. These comprise 36 A320s, three A321s, and six A321NX(LR). The carrier also has 73 A320neos on order, alongside 27 A321NX plus 20 A321NY(LR) aircraft.  

The carrier精东影业 Abu-Dhabi-based subsidiary operates 10 A320s. The carrier also has sister airlines based in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.聽 聽

In pictures: Lockheed L-100 cargo plane damaged in runway excursion in Somalia聽聽聽

• Air Cargo
• Aircraft
• Aviation

byLuke Peters

March 11, 2024

Air Arabia精东影业 turnover for FY22 reached AED 5.2 billion ($1.4 billion), up 65% compared to AED 3.2 billion ($871 million) registered for FY21, the low-cost carrier (LCC) said in a . 聽

The airline, which operates in the Middle East and North Africa, attributes its performance to the growing demand and passenger numbers that exceeded pre-pandemic levels.  

鈥淎ir Arabia served more than 12.8 million passengers in 2022 from its seven hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, Armenia, and Pakistan, an increase of 90 per cent compared to 6.8 million passengers carried in 2021,鈥� the airline noted.   

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Thani, chairman of Air Arabia, stated that the airline精东影业 performance and profitability are the 鈥渂est in the company精东影业 operating history,鈥� despite challenges in the market. 

鈥淎lthough the year 2022 continued be challenging, the aviation industry has begun returning to normality as airlines and airports worldwide witnessed faster recovery following the drop in demand caused by the pandemic,鈥� Al Thani said.  

Air Arabia 鈥渞obust growth鈥� in 2022 

鈥淎ir Arabia Group maintained its robust growth in 2022 by increasing its fleet size and adding new routes across its global network while launching the operations of its latest joint venture airlines in Armenia and Pakistan,鈥� Al Thani added.  

In 2022, Air Arabia added 24 new routes to its global network in 2022 from its operating hubs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Morocco, Egypt, Armenia, and Pakistan, according to the airlines statement. 

The airline took delivery of 10 new aircraft and ended the year with a fleet of 68 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft operating to more than 190 routes across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe, the statement continued. 

New Joint Ventures 

In June 2022, Fly Arna, Armenia精东影业 National Airline and joint venture (JV) with government-owned Armenia National Interests Fund (ANIF) and Air Arabia Group, commenced its operations with a fleet of A320s from its base in Yerevan. The JV expanded its network by adding five new routes. 

Fly Jinnah, a LCC based in Pakistan and a JV between the Air Arabia Group and Pakistan精东影业 Lakson Group, also commenced operations in October 2022, and added four domestic destinations to its network. 

However, along with DAL Group, Air Arabia Group signed an agreement to form 鈥淎ir Arabia Sudan鈥�, a joint venture company that will be based in Khartoum. The new airline will follow the same low-cost business model.聽聽

Air Arabia精东影业 growing constellation of airlines is about to get larger

• Airlines

byMiquel Ros

December 11, 2022

However, right on their doorstep a different sort of airline has quietly, but steadily, been building its very own multinational empire, stretching all the way from Morocco to Pakistan and from Sudan to Armenia.

It精东影业 barely 20 miles, as the crow flies, from Dubai精东影业 downtown to Sharjah International Airport (SHJ), where Air Arabia has its main base.

However, Air Arabia精东影业 strategy couldn鈥檛 be more different.

Instead of trying to connect distant continents through a single massive hub, Air Arabia has focused on point to point flights to and from multiple bases. Rather than trying to offer the most luxurious experience up in the sky, Air Arabia has opted for the tried and tested single cabin, no frills, value model.

The product and market overlap is limited enough that Air Arabia精东影业 no frills business model could be considered complementary to that of other full service carriers in the region.

This is the logic that underlies Air Arabia精东影业 recent expansion into Abu Dhabi (AUH), where its partner is none other than the local carrier, Etihad.

By inviting Air Arabia to set up shop in its home base, Etihad expects to complement its existing full service offering by reaching out to additional market segments and destinations that may be less well suited to its mainline operation. This is a symbiotic relationship similar to that enjoyed by Emirates and flyDubai at Dubai international airport (DXB).

With this arrangement, Abu Dhabi became Air Arabia精东影业 third base in the UAE (in addition to its main Sharja base, it also runs a small operation out of the emirate of Ras-Al-Khaima) but its ambitions reach far beyond the confines of the UAE, the Gulf region or even the larger Middle East.

Air Arabia精东影业 decentralized growth strategy has led it to establish a number of joint ventures with local partners in several different countries, a formula that helps Air Arabia expand into new markets while navigating the intricacies of each particular market.

This is the case of two of Air Arabia精东影业 earlier and most successful forays out of Sharjah: its Moroccan and Egyptian subsidiaries, launched in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

In both countries, Air Arabia operates under its own brand, as it also did in Jordan before closing down operations in that country in 2018.

More recently, Air Arabia has announced plans to launch a new venture in Sudan, which will also use its own brand. For this project, which was announced last September, Air Arabia has allied itself with a Sudanese firm, the DAL Group.

Air Arabia Sudan will be operating out of Khartoum International Airport (KRT) and is expected to replicate the operational model of its sister companies elsewhere.

This year has also seen the launch of Fly Arna, a joint venture with the government-owned Armenia National Interests Fund (ANIF) which aspires to become Armenia精东影业 national carrier. While, in this case, the new airline uses a different brand, Air Arabia is in charge of its management and operations.

Fly Arna started operations this summer with a couple of Airbus A320s and a small network linking Yerevan (EVN) to destinations in Georgia, Russia and Egypt.

Another airline which will operate under its own differentiated brand, but under a similar management model is Fly Jinnah, a joint venture with Pakistan精东影业 Lakson Group.

Fly Jinnah, which will be based in Karachi and, at the time of publication, is expected to launch imminently, is part of a new crop of Pakistani budget carriers that aim to dynamize the air travel market in the populous country.

All these projects have a common denominator, a textbook classical low cost airline model based on a single-class, no frills cabin supplemented by a whole range of add-on ancillary services.

Likewise, you can find commonality in the fleet, with all airlines in Air Arabia精东影业 galaxy exclusively operating Airbus A320 family aircraft, mostly A320-200s, but also some A321s and A321LRs. The long-running relationship between Air Arabia and the European manufacturer was further strengthened in 2019 when the airline placed an order for an additional 120 new Airbus aircraft (73 A320neos, 27 A321neos and 20 A321XLRs).

By giving the A321s an increasingly more prominent role in its fleet, Air Arabia appears to be following the likes of Wizz Air and other low-cost carriers in up-gauging as a way to increase capacity and drive down costs per passenger on key routes.

Interestingly the order included 20 of the longer range XLR version, which opens up a handful of possibilities when it comes to the number of new destinations that could be reached from Air Arabia精东影业 many and geographically dispersed bases.

The new air carrier will be called Air Arabia Sudan. 

The new company will be based in Khartoum International Airport (KRT) in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

Air Arabia Sudan will operate a fleet of new Airbus A320 aircraft and will adopt Air Arabia Group精东影业 low-cost business model.

Work on securing the relevant approvals and licenses is scheduled to commence shortly, DAL Group and Air Arabia announced in a statement released on September 22, 2022. 

Air Arabia精东影业 footprint in establishing low-cost airlines

Air Arabia has a history of being involved in establishing low-cost carriers. Air Arabia Sudan will be already the fourth airline co-established by the company in the past few years alone. 

• In September 2021, Air Arabia Group announced its intention to form a joint venture with Pakistani Lakson Group to launch a new airline in Pakistan. The new low-cost carrier, called Fly Jinnah, is going to be based in Karachi, Pakistan精东影业 largest city, and initially serve domestic destinations within the country, before expanding to include international routes. 
• In July 2021, it agreed with the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) to launch Armenia精东影业 new national, low-cost passenger airline based in Yerevan精东影业 Zvartnots International Airport (EVN). 
• In partnership with state-owned Etihad Airways, it launched Air Arabia Abu Dhabi in July 2020. Initially announced in October 2019, the new airline operated its inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) to Alexandria, Egypt on July 14, 2020.

Besides the recent joint ventures, Air Arabia co-established four other airlines in Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Nepal. The two later airlines have ceased operations, while Air Arabia Egypt and Air Arabia Maroc continue to operate. 

On the evening of November 5, 2021, the Air Arabia Maroc Airbus A320 was carrying out flight 437 from Casablanca (CMN) to Istanbul (SAW). But as it was flying near the Mallorca island, which is situated off the Spanish coast, an emergency was declared on board after a passenger reported suffering a diabetic episode. Thus, the flight diverted to Palma de Mallorca (PMI), so the traveler could receive medical attention.

But during the deplaning of the supposedly ill passenger, around 20 people took the opportunity to abscond from the plane on the tarmac. The police began searching the airport, which resulted in operations being interrupted for more than four hours. As a consequence, 13 planes bound for Palma were rerouted to other airports, and 16 departing flights were delayed.

鈥�12 people have been arrested and 12 are still wanted,鈥� said Aina Calvo, representative of the Spanish government, on November 6, 2021.

The Moroccan man, who had complained of discomfort, was taken to hospital where it was declared that he was in perfect health. He was arrested by the police on suspicion of having 鈥渉elped with illegal immigration”. The person accompanying him fled soon after reaching the hospital.

Fly Jinnah is going to be a low-cost carrier based in Karachi, Pakistan精东影业 largest city. Initially it is going to serve domestic destinations within the country, before expanding to include international routes.

According to Air Arabia精东影业 press release, the joint venture is going to start working on obtaining an Air Operating Certificate (AOC) soon, before announcing a launch date, fleet and destination network.

鈥淲e are confident that 鈥淔ly Jinnah鈥� will add value to the air transport sector of Pakistan and directly contribute to the local economy through job creation and the development of travel and tourism sector,鈥� Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia, is quoted in the company’s press release.

Air Arabia has recently been on a streak of launching new ventures in the Middle East and surrounding regions. Despite reporting a massive loss through 2020, the company has launched Air Arabia Abu Dhabi airline together with Etihad Airways, and then announced its intention to help Armenia with its first low-coster. 

Are Abu Dhabi精东影业 two new LCC精东影业 still on track despite COVID-19?

• Civil Aviation

byRytis Beresnevicius

April 14, 2020

Armenia精东影业 new national carrier will be called Fly Arna. 

The name was picked from 500 proposals in a naming competition. Launched in July 2021, the competition attracted over 800 participants.

The winning option, Fly Arna, is derived from 鈥淎rmenian National Airlines鈥� by combining the first two letters of the country鈥榮 name and the word 鈥渁irlines鈥�.

The new airline精东影业 name should also reflect 鈥渁 new era in the growth of the Armenian aviation sector and will contribute to the nation精东影业 tourism, hospitality and business sectors,鈥� written in according to the ANIF statement dated September 1, 2021.

Which airlines are due to start operations by the end of 2021?

• Airlines

byGabriele Petrauskaite

August 20, 2021

鈥淭he new name represents the aspirations of the people of Armenia and is the result of a national competition, underlining how the joint venture company prioritizes the interests of the community,鈥� the CEO of Air Arabia Adel Al Ali explained.

A joint venture between the ANIF and Air Arabia Group was set up in July 2021. Fly Arna will operate as a low-cost air carrier from its home base at Yerevan精东影业 Zvartnots International Airport (EVN).  So far, neither the ANIF, nor Air Arabia has disclosed any other details regarding a potential airline精东影业 launch date, fleet, or network.

Fly Arna is now expected to apply for the Airline Operation Certificate 鈥渋n the coming weeks鈥�, according to the fund.

British Airways plans low cost subsidiary at Gatwick airport

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

August 27, 2021

The two companies will establish an independent joint venture company that will operate as a low-cost passenger airline with Yerevan精东影业 Zvartnots International Airport (EVN) as its base, Air Arabia announced on July 14, 2021. 

Armenians are invited to participate in an open competition to decide the name of the new airline by sending their suggestions. However, the final word will belong to the company精东影业 board of directors who will go through received suggestions and select the final name. 

Meanwhile, work on securing the Air Operating Certificate (AOC) is to commence 鈥渟hortly鈥�. 

The establishment of a national airline is in line with the country精东影业 vision of developing its travel and tourism sector. Hopes are, the new air carrier will contribute to the country精东影业 economic growth and provide passengers a 鈥渧alue for money鈥� air travel option.

鈥淥ur vision for Armenia is to significantly improve air connectivity and as a result bring economic growth and jobs to the country,鈥� said Tatevik Revazian, Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia. 鈥淗aving a strong national low-cost airline is essential for the development of Armenia精东影业 air transport sector, especially as a tool to recover faster from the COVID-19 crisis. This partnership between ANIF and Air Arabia Group to launch a new airline reflects this vision. We are confident that the expertise Air Arabia brings to the JV will support the seamless launch and growth of the carrier. We look forward to the success of Armenia精东影业 new national airline.鈥�

鈥淲e are excited to launch a new national low-cost carrier for Armenia that will contribute significant value to the economy and energise our travel and tourism sector,鈥� David Papazian, Chief Executive Officer of ANIF, said in a statement. 

鈥淲e see tremendous potential for Armenia in building its airline sector, which will add sustained value to the economy through job creation and the development of the travel and tourism sector,鈥� said Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer. 

Papazian praised the partnership with Air Arabia, calling it a 鈥渄ifferentiating strength of the new airline鈥� due to its previous track record of launching and operating low-cost carriers (LCCs).

The new airline will be called 鈥淎ir Arabia Abu Dhabi鈥� and have a hub in Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). The company is going to be formed as an independent joint venture by the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad and Sharjah-based Air Arabia.聽

The new LCC 鈥渟upports鈥� Etihad精东影业 transformation program, according to Tony Douglas, Etihad CEO. 鈥淭his exciting partnership supports our transformation programme and will offer our guests a new option for low-cost travel to and from Abu Dhabi, supplementing our own services. We look forward to the launch of the new airline in due course,鈥� Douglas is quoted in a as saying.

The Middle East region had one of the lowest low-cost carrier penetration rates globally, according to . The study found that LCC penetration in the Middle East region was the second lowest in the world, surpassing only Africa. With no country in the region having LCCs share larger than 30%, the region was dominated by the Gulf Three airlines (Emirates, Qatar and no other than Etihad).

While LCCs accounted for 17% seat capacity in 2018, 鈥渢he Middle East market enjoys the third highest gains in intra-regional low-cost carrier penetration rate鈥�, according to Air Arabia, the first low-cost airline in the MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa). The airline has already set up similar joint ventures, including subsidiaries Air Arabia Maroc, Air Arabia Jordan and Air Arabia Egypt.

However, the newcomer Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will likely face a fierce competition. Abu Dhabi already competes with another major global hub in the UAE 鈥� Dubai. And the latter hub is already occupied by another strong airline duo that are increasingly stepping up their strategic partnership. The partnership between Emirates and officially a budget carrier Flydubai (although it can also be fairly called a hybrid operator) was formed in October 2017 and is constantly expanding via increasing number of shared destinations.聽

Etihad is still dealing with problems from its previous failed investments, including Alitalia and Air Berlin (AB1) (both of which filed for insolvency in 2017) and JetAirways, that collapsed earlier this year. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier has been posting billions in losses for the past three years, that accumulated to $4.67 billion as of April 2019.聽