Dubai: Low-cost carrier Air Arabia is looking at a new order of aircraft to be delivered after 2016, Adel Ali, the carrier’s group CEO, told a press conference on Sunday.
The airline, which celebrates its 10th anniversary on Monday, is considering other manufacturers for the order besides Airbus, including Boeing and Bombardier, Ali said.
In 2007, Air Arabia made an order of 44 Airbus A320 aircraft, with 22 being delivered in the next two years.
“Ten will be delivered in 2014, ten in 2015 and two in 2016,” Ali told Gulf News. The reasons behind the order are “growth and replacing fleet”, he said.
The 10 aircraft that will be delivered in 2014 are financed by Gulf banks. Asked why Gulf banks are interested in supporting the delivery of the aircraft, Ali said they “feel confident that [Air Arabia] is a sound, standalone business.”
Sharjah government has been investing in Sharjah International Airport. A new runway is expected to be ready in the next 8 to 12 months, and it is “studying” a new terminal that it hopes to open, according to Ali. Sharjah’s latest terminal has a capacity of eight million passengers.
Air Arabia expects to start operating in China by 2014.
“The traffic rights have been granted to us,” Ali said, although he did not specify the number of airports it would operate in.
On why the airline is targeting the Chinese market, Ali listed the country’s large population, good economy and an increase of travellers as the reasons for it.
In addition, it is looking at expanding to West Africa, he said.
Meanwhile, the airline is not looking at opening other hubs in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) due to “ the regional political instability”, but once stability returns, it will consider it, he said and expected overall business to grow between “10 and 12 per cent” next year compared with 2013.
