Home lists Top 100 most powerful Arabs 2021 Adel Ali Group CEO, Air Arabia Origin: Bahrain Residence: UAE Sector: Aviation Last year, in a major expansion of its operations, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi began flights from the UAE capital. A joint venture between Air Arabia and Etihad Airways, it is the country’s fifth national carrier. Ali has championed the low-cost carrier model in the region for nearly two decades. Following a $14bn deal it reached with Airbus in November 2019, there are 120 aircraft set to be added to its fleet over the next few years. Ali has chosen to take a long-term view instead of a knee-jerk reaction to the pandemic, and has reiterated that there are no plans to adjust that order.