Air Arabia Reports 13% Passenger Growth In 2012

UAE’s Air Arabia has reported it carried a record 5,301,484 passengers in 2012, a 13 per cent rise on the previous year.

The region’s first low-cost carrier has put its growth in passenger traffic down to its expansion plans.

Last year the airline, whose primary hub is in the northern emirate of Sharjah, launched nine new destinations – Kazan, Taif, Salalah, Ufa, Odessa, Erbil, Astana, Basra and Rostov.

The carrier also increased its frequency on existing routes such as Moscow, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Doha and Kuwait.

The airline now has a global network of 82 cities.

Adel Ali, Air Arabia’s group CEO, said: “Air Arabia continues to witness significant year-on-year growth in passenger numbers, and this demonstrates the growing popularity of the airline’s value for money services.

“As a pioneer in the low-cost space, we will continue to set the standard for the low-cost travel segment, offering great fares to an ever growing range of destinations.”

Air Arabia took delivery of six new aircraft in 2012 as part of an order for 44 aircraft placed in 2007, which when completed in 2016 will more than double the size of its fleet.