Air Arabia Jordan, the Kingdom’s new low cost carrier (LCC) announced Wednesday that it will commence operations from its Amman Queen Alia International Airport base in May this year. Beginning with direct flights to four countries in the region, Air Arabia Jordan will greatly strengthen connectivity between Jordan and the Levant, Middle East, Europe and North Africa.

Starting May 18, Air Arabia Jordan’s inaugural flight will take off to Kuwait city as the carrier’s first destination, followed by the launch of regular scheduled services to Jeddah, Erbil and Sharm El Sheikh on May 19, 20 and 21, respectively, with more destinations to be added later in 2015.

Earlier this year, Air Arabia announced the establishment of its fifth international hub in Jordan following the acquisition of a 49 percent stake in Petra Airlines, which has led to the creation of Air Arabia Jordan, the Kingdom’s new LCC. The newly established carrier, managed by Air Arabia, will follow the carrier’s successful low-cost business model introduced to the MENA region 11 years ago by Air Arabia.

Group CEO of Air Arabia Adel A. Ali said: “We thank the Jordanian government and aviation authorities for their invaluable support throughout the process of forming Air Arabia Jordan. We are eager to begin operations of Jordan’s latest airline and move a step closer to connecting Jordan and the entire region with affordable air travel.”

Air Arabia, listed on the Dubai Financial Market, is the largest low cost carrier (LCC) operator in the MENA region. The carrier began operations in October 2003 from its main hub at Sharjah International Airport in the UAE. It has since grown to serve more than 100 destinations, spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia from four international hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt.