Air Arabia to boost flights to Saudi

Sharjah-based carrier Air Arabia is planning to boost services to Saudi Arabia with the launch of a non-stop flight to the southern town of Abha in May, its CEO has said. Speaking to reporters in the western Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah on Sunday, Adel Ali said the airline is committed to using its infrastructure to improve connectivity with most major destinations in the Gulf Kingdom. In addition to Abha, Air Arabia operates non-stop flights to the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Madina, Dammam, Qassim, Yanbu, and Taif. “Since launching operations to the Kingdom in 2004, Air Arabia has been determined to using its infrastructure to organically grow its operations into many cities across the Kingdom,” Ali said, according to Saudi newspapers. “The Kingdom has been a market focus for us, and given the vast potential that the country’s aviation sector offers, we look forward to expand our operations to more airports in this vibrant market.” He noted that Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, celebrates today nine years of successful operations in Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy and the most lucrative market in the region. Air Arabia started operations to the Kingdom with regular services to Jeddah in 2004. Since then, reflecting the overall growth of the Saudi aviation sector, the airline has seen increasing demand for the appealing value of its offers. Today, the airline operates more than 88 weekly non-stop services from its three hubs – Sharjah, Casablanca in Morocco and Alexandria in Egypt — to eight Saudi destinations. “The strengthening of our route network in Saudi Arabia testifies the significance we attach to the Kingdom, and our business strategy is to be present where our customers want us to be. That said, Air Arabia will continue to offer enormous choice for customers seeking to travel from Saudi Arabia to the UAE and Egypt, and beyond.” Ali said. According to Ali, Air Arabia’s fleet has grown to 33 aircraft in just 10 years. By 2016, the airline will boost the size of its fleet to over 50 aircraft. Emirates 24/7