Tag Archives: Air Arabia

Air Arabia announced the launch of direct flights between Sharjah and Vienna, capital of Austria, starting September 15, 2019. The non-stop six-hour flight to Vienna, popularly known as the ‘City of Music’, will initially operate four times a week, on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and will increase to daily flights starting mid-December from Sunday to Saturday. Flights on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays will depart Sharjah International Airport at 17:35 hours local time arriving at Vienna International Airport at 21:50 hours local time. The return flights will depart Vienna International Airport at 22:40 hours arriving in Sharjah the next day at 06:20 hours local time. Flights operating on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays will depart Sharjah International Airport at 07:25 hours local time arriving at Vienna International Airport at 11:40 hours local time. The return flights will depart Vienna International Airport at 12:30 hours arriving in Sharjah at 20:10 hours local time. On Wednesdays, flights are scheduled to depart from Sharjah International Airport early in the morning at 07:15 hours local time arriving at Vienna International Airport at 11:30 hours local time. The return flights will depart Vienna International Airport at 12:20 hours arriving in Sharjah at 20:00 hours local time. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said, “We are pleased to announce the new route from Sharjah to Vienna, one of Europe’s leading cultural and economic centres. This daily service linking the two cities will further strengthen the trade and tourism ties between both nations, while providing our leisure and business travellers with a new choice for value-for-money air travel.”

Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced the launch of its new complimentary in-flight entertainment system ‘SkyTime’ that allows passengers to live stream digital content on smartphones, tablets or laptops while travelling with the carrier. The new innovative entertainment system is now available across Air Arabia’s fleet. Customers can access ‘SkyTime’ network right after takeoff, and enjoy a wide selection of Hollywood, Bollywood, Arabic and Russian movies, television shows, music, destination tips and games as well as a special offering for younger ones. The system is app-less which makes its usage and access almost effortless. Commenting on the launch, Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said, “We always seek to make the best use of technology to provide added value to our customers. We are proud to launch ‘SkyTime’, our all new free in-flight entertainment system solely designed to provide customers with added value while onboard Air Arabia flights. This new launch reflects Air Arabia’s commitment to continuously apply innovative solutions aimed at providing real value and convenience to customers”. Air Arabia customers can access the new system after takeoff by enabling the Wi-Fi connection and selecting the ‘SkyTime’ network. By logging in, they can browse a wide selection of entertainment content in addition to an exclusive feature that provides customers with valuable tips about the city they are travelling to. Air Arabia is renowned for using cutting-edge technology to provide simple and efficient solutions to its customers. The carrier was also the first to introduce an online loyalty system “Airewards” providing customers with the option to earn points based on money spent rather than distance …

As part of its strategy to explore key global markets to effectively position Sharjah on the global tourism map, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) is participating at SATTE 2019, South Asia’s leading travel trade show, being held from January 16-18 at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida – Delhi NCR. SCTDA will utilise the event platform to enhance the emirate’s brand and profile before Indian and other international visitors to drive growth, particularly in terms of the number of international tourist arrivals in 2019 and beyond. At SATTE 2019, the Authority will showcase Sharjah’s unique tourism and hospitality offerings along with a number of partners from both public and private sectors. These include Ramada Hotel- Sharjah, Copthorne Hotel- Sharjah, Air Arabia, Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA), Orient Tours and TravTalk. Under SCTDA’s banner, these entities will highlight Sharjah’s local culture, history and the diverse leisure and recreational activities its tourism sector has to offer. HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “Since SATTE has become the launch platform for many countries and tourism products from across the globe to do business in and with India, we consider this as an extremely strategic opportunity to widen our reach and explore new partnerships. Our participation in SATTE 2019 complements our vision of positioning Sharjah as the ideal global destination for family holidaymakers, while also emphasising the emirate’s status as a well-known cultural hub for historical and natural heritage. Drawing inspiration from the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, which aims to attract 10 million tourists, we will continue to develop distinctive family leisure and tourism activities with special packages to attract visitors. Hence, expanding our presence to new markets through partnerships with …

Set to be held from April 30 to May 1, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 is expected to bring together airline specialists, aviation authorities, tourism boards, airports and tour operators, as well as other travel-related industry professionals. Fourteen airlines have already confirmed their participation at CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa – co-located with Arabian Travel Market 2019 and taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre. Senior network planning teams from Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Air Asia, EgyptAir, flyadeal, Ethiopian Airlines, Global Airways, Atlas Global, Germania, Mahan Air, Royal Air Maroc and Titan Airways will attend the inaugural route development forum. Throughout 2018, GCC airlines have added 58 new flight routes – focusing on areas of consistent and substantial growth – according to research from Colliers International – based on a sample of 10 airlines including Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Salaam Air, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Saudia, flyadeal, Air Arabia and IndiGo airlines. Karin Butot, CEO, The Airport Agency, said, “2018 has been an exciting year for new flight routes both to and from the GCC, underscoring Dubai as the ideal location to bring together professionals from the aviation and tourism industry for the inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa forum. With up to 400 delegates, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 will include unlimited one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, a conference programme, panel discussions and airline and  industry briefings as well as an exhibition area dedicated to airports and suppliers.” Nick Pilbeam, Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, said, “It is an ideal base for exploring some of the world’s most interesting and previously inaccessible corners of the world. And the GCC’s airlines are making it even easier with the …

Air Arabia has recently launched its direct flight from Sharjah to Prague in Czech Republic. The launch flight departed from Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) and landed in Prague Václav Havel Airport. The 6 hour 50-minute flight operates five times a week, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesdays and Sundays, the departing flight leaves Sharjah at 07:35 hours and arrives in Prague at 11:20 hours local time; the return flight departs Prague at 12:00 and arrives in Sharjah the following morning at 21:00 hours. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the departing flight leaves Sharjah at 15:35 hours and arrives in Prague at 19:20 hours local time; the return flight departs Prague at 21:05 and arrives in Sharjah the following morning at 06:05 hours. Air Arabia currently operates flights to more than 150 routes across the globe from four hubs located in the Middle East and North Africa.

Air Arabia has selected Thales for its new Aviobook Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) system that allows pilots to operate efficiently in the cockpit with digital manuals and charts. The signing happened at the side-lines of Bahrain International Airshow that took place this week in Bahrain. Air Arabia had already implemented the Aviobook electronic flight bag system years back that helped the airline reduce the amount of paper required to be carried on board while bringing robust efficiency into its operations. Thales Pads will now replace existing electronic devices on board ensuring latest technology is adopted. The new EFB, lighter in weight, includes enhanced features and provides highest level of reliability and performance on board. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said, “Efficiency has been at the heart of Air Arabia operations since the carrier launch 15 years ago. Adopting the Thales Pads into our cockpit reflects Air Arabia’s innovative approach towards investing in technology and business intelligence to continue driving operational reliability and efficiency higher. We look forward to working with Thales to successfully implement this new project”. Roger Daix, VP-Thales, Middle East, said, “Thales is proud to have been selected by Air Arabia, and we are honoured to equip the airline with the new Aviobook electronic flight bag system. This selection represents a major win for Thales in the Middle East reinforcing our presence within the region. Thales is committed to support Air Arabia in driving innovation at the highest standards.”

Air Arabia has signed an agreement with SAP – a Germany-based company that makes enterprise application software, for a new cloud-based Human Resources system. The new system “SAP SuccessFactors” will provide Air Arabia with advanced capabilities across all HR functions using some of the latest technologies and cutting-edge human capital management software solutions. Through this agreement, Air Arabia will acquire advanced capabilities across all its Human Capital functions via the use of the latest technologies provided by SAP SuccessFactors scope, which include core employee management functions, the payroll system, employee self-service, recruitment and onboarding, performance and goal management, learning management, manpower planning and many additional features. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said,  “Since its launch, Air Arabia has always adopted smart and cutting-edge technologies that supports that carrier’s ever growing operations with reliability and efficiency. The new agreement with SAP is in line with this strategy and we look forward to working together to make this project a success.” Julien Bertin, Managing Director, SAP said, “We have developed the SAP Model Company for Human Resources service to support digital HR transformation. We are confident that Air Arabia’S human capital function will considerably benefit from a ready-to-run, preconfigured SAP SuccessFactors solution based on leading practices for end-to-end HR business processes. We are proud to have partnered with Air Arabia and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”

Air Arabia has announced the introduction of its new European destination, Prague in Czech Republic, direct from Sharjah. Air Arabia’s inaugural flight to the city will commence on December 11, 2018. The 6 hour 50-minute flight will operate five times per week, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesdays and Sundays, the flight will depart Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) at 08:00 hours and arrive at Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG) at 11:50 hours, and on the return leg, the flight will depart from PRG at 12:35 hours and land at SHJ at 21:40 local time. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the departing flight with leave from Sharjah at 15:30 hours and arrive in Prague at 19:20 hours; the return flight will depart Prague at 21:05 and arrive in Sharjah the following morning at 06:10 hours. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said, “With the launch of the Sharjah to Prague route, we aim to offer our passengers the chance to discover the colorful and historic capital city, our newest destination in Europe to be available direct from the UAE.” A historic city famed for its Old Town Square and elaborately constructed Baroque buildings, Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic and one of the most popular touristic destinations in Europe.

The officials results released by Air Arabia reported strong financial results for the first half ending June 30, 2018 as the low-cost carrier continued to deliver solid and sustained financial performance. Air Arabia reported a net profit of AED 230 million for the first half ending June 30, 2018; a 12 per cent less than the AED 261 million reported for the same period last year. The company’s turnover for the first six months of 2018 reached AED 1.816 billion, an increase of 6 per cent compared to AED 1.716 billion in the corresponding period last year. Air Arabia’s strong profits are registered despite the economic pressure that airlines have witnessed in the second quarter of this year, which was driven by lower yield margins, higher fuel prices and seasonality shift in traffic that the market has experienced. Marking strong growth in passenger demand, Air Arabia flew 4.2 million passengers during the first half of 2018 and the airline’s average seat load factor for the first six month of 2018 – passengers carried as a percentage of available seats – stood at impressive 79 per cent. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia said, “Air Arabia’s strong financial results are a testament to the airline’s robust growth strategy, operational efficiency and unwavering commitment to delivering on its value-added proposition for customers. The global aviation industry had to cope up with pressing economic challenges during the second quarter of this year and we are glad to see Air Arabia continuing to deliver strong financial and operational performance while maintaining its momentum growth across the breadth of its network.”

Taking two new Airbus A320 aircraft deliveries, Air Arabia has brought its total operating fleet to 53. The latest Airbus A320 arrived on schedule from the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France, marking the completion of all deliveries this year. The new A320 aircraft have gone straight into service across the airline’s over 150 destination networks served from the main carrier hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt. Air Arabia added 12 new routes from its hubs in the first half of 2018. The next delivery will be Air Arabia’s first A321neo LR to join the fleet early next year. Adding the A321 to the fleet will enable the low-cost carrier to extend its fleet reach and therefore, enter new markets as well as better serve existing high-density routes. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said, “The delivery of our last two aircraft for 2018 marks a significant step in the development of our fleet expansion strategy, especially as we added 12 new routes this year. We are proud to have created one of the industry’s most modern fleets through exceptional organic growth which helped us offer customers a wider range of destinations at great value.”