SHARJAH, 8 February 2005 — Air Arabia, the first no-frill airline of the Middle East operating out of Sharjah, has secured Indian approval to operate daily flights to Bombay and the operations will start from the middle of March, the airline has announced.
Flight schedules and fares for India will be announced later this month. Low-cost air flights had always been a major demand of Gulf-based Indian expatriates. After years of deliberation, Air India, the Indian national carrier, has decided to launch low-cost flights to and from the Gulf in April.
Bombay will the first Indian destination for Air Arabia, which is hoping for rights to fly to the southern state of Kerala, which represents the busiest sector for all Gulf-based airlines. With the launch of the flights in mid-March, Air Arabia’s reach will raise to 12 countries and 16 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Saudi-based travelers could also benefit from the low-cost airline, which operates flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam with various frequencies.
“We are delighted with this addition to our growing network,” said Air Arabia Chairman Sheikh Abdullah ibn Mohammed Al Thani announcing the flights to Bombay.
“This is part of our commitment to provide our passengers with the best value and the highest quality of service. By connecting India to our existing routes, we can now offer Indian nationals the opportunity to travel at lower fares throughout the Gulf region and Gulf residents to travel to India at the best possible fares, allowing families to meet more frequently and tourists to enjoy even more destinations,” he added.
“India has always been part of Air Arabia’s expansion plans and we look forward to addressing more of the region’s travel needs with this new destination,” said Adel Ali, Air Arabia’s CEO.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Air Arabia to assist in increasing tourism within India with the movement of traffic from the Gulf region, as well as offering numerous travel opportunities to the Indian public, whether for business or leisure,” he added.
With the recent addition of its fifth Airbus A320, Air Arabia will be offering travelers to and from India the very best in customer comfort with an aircraft combining the widest and most spacious cabins in its class and the largest seat pitch in the market — that of 34 inches in comparison to 29 and at the most 31 inches offered on most regional airlines.
