Dubai: Air Arabia, which celebrated its ninth anniversary of its first flight on October 28, said that it has taken delivery of two new A320 aircraft from Airbus, bringing the total fleet to 31.

The Sharjah-based budget carrier has now taken delivery of 13 out of 44 A320 aircraft ordered back in 2007 and the low-cost pioneer expects another aircraft to be delivered before year-end 2012. The delivery of the 44 new aircraft will be completed by 2016, which will take the carrier’s fleet up to over 50 aircraft.

The carrier took delivery of its latest A320 at the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France, and the new aircraft has gone straight into service across Air Arabia’s global network of 80 destinations, which it serves from three hubs in UAE, Morocco and Egypt.

Since the beginning of this year, Air Arabia introduced ten new routes to its award-winning network, including Kazan and Uffa in Russia; Arbil and Basra in Iraq; Odessa in Ukraine; Salalah in Oman; Taif in Saudi Arabia; Astana in Kazakhstan; and Prishtina in Republic of Kosovo. In addition, the airline also expanded operations from its Moroccan hub and recently introduced non-stop services to London from Casablanca and Tangier in Morocco.

“The delivery of two new aircraft is a great way to celebrate our anniversary this year,” said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Office at Air Arabia. “Our modern and reliable aircraft enable us to combine superb value for money fares for our customers. As we continue to unlock opportunities for the low-cost model in the wider Arab region, we look forward to the delivery of more new aircraft in the near future.”

Low penetration

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) account for about 10 per cent of all regional seating capacity, which is well below many other regions in the world.

The growth rate of LCCs in the Middle East has slowed in recent years, but the market is still ripe for exploitation as LCC penetration remains very low in the region compared to many other parts of the world, according to a report. Currently just four low-cost carriers are based in the Middle East — Air Arabia, flydubai, Jazeera Airways, and Nas Air. These airlines have built a notable presence in the region catering primarily to foreign workers.

Between them, regional LCCs operate close to 75 aircraft, and are set to expand their fleets by another 30 aircraft this year. Air Arabia is due to take delivery of six aircraft this year and is considering the launch of its much-delayed fourth hub in Jordan, while flydubai plans to take delivery of seven aircraft and recently added its 50th destination. NAS Air also is expected to take delivery of 12 aircraft this year and recently appointed a new CEO to drive its expansion.

Corporate success

After nine years of successful operations, the region’s first low-cost carrier is widely regarded as one of the Middle East’s true corporate success stories. From the earliest days of serving five regional destinations with just two aircraft, Air Arabia has grown to become a leading regional airline with a strong network of destinations. Today, it serves 80 destinations spread across Europe, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia and North Africa.

“We witness strong customer demand for our services and we are pleased to see that more and more customers take full advantage of our value-for-money fares. Moving ahead, we look forward to providing our customers with even more value-for-money options, as well as an even wider range of services and destinations,” Ali said.