Monday, May 06, 2024
AirArabia – an Emirati airline – is offering budget fares to expatriates so that they can visit their family back home more frequently.
Marking the 20th anniversary, AirArabia Group CEO Adel Abdullah Al Ali said this in a press brief at the Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden on Thursday.
AirArabia Regional General Manager Rajesh Narula, and MGH CEO, also the GSA of AirArabia, Md Abdur Rahim were present at the programme.
Abdullah said, “Many expats only visit their families every two to three years due to high air fares. But with our budget fairs, they will be able to visit their family every year, and this is our target.”
The headquarters of AirArabia is located in Sharjah of United Arab Emirates, and started operations in October 2003 by introducing a low-cost business model to the Middle East and North African region.
Abdullah said, “It is now the largest low-cost carrier operator (LCC) amongst the world’s highest performing airlines in terms of operational efficiency and profitability. AirArabia owns and operates a total fleet of 73 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft with 120 Airbus aircraft on order, with delivery expected in 2025.”
He further mentioned that AirArabia is a multi-hub and multi-airline operator. It has seven strategic hubs located in the United Arab Emirates (Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah), Morocco, Egypt, Armenia and Pakistan, and currently the airline serves more than 190 international and domestic routes in more than 50 countries.
Every hub follows the successful business model adopted by AirArabia for the past 20 years and they primarily focus on offering affordable, comfortable, and reliable air travel experience to its passengers, he added.
In the context of Bangladesh, the AirArabia CEO said they have been serving Bangladesh since 2007 with the first direct flight to Chattogram (June 2007), followed by direct flights to Dhaka, the capital city in June 2008.
The airline offers its services from/to Chittagong and Dhaka in Bangladesh from two airports in the UAE – Sharjah and Abu Dhabi (UAE's Capital) – with a frequency of 57 non-stop flights per week.
In response to reporters’ questions, Abdullah said, “Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, numerous geopolitical and economic challenges were faced by the global aviation industry, but the AirArabia Group managed to sustain its strong growth in 2023.
“This was possible to achieve through the increase of operating capacity and the addition of new routes across our global network from all our hubs. We take pride in the fact that Air Arabia’s value-driven product and services now cater to a broader customer base and reach more markets.”
“The economy of Bangladesh is improving. The airport is beautiful. We are doing business here, and if business is good, we will think about expansion. However, right now, there is no plan to build a hub in Bangladesh,” he added.
