Air Arabia is bent on pursuing its expansion plans despite the current economic downturn affecting the aviation industry, announcing recently that it will use its new A321neo LR planes it received to expand to new medium-haul markets and boost its existing routes with increased seat capacity.

Currently, the Emirati low-cost airline operates flights to over 170 global destinations in 50 countries from four hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt with a fleet size of 55 aircraft. 

“The current economic and trading conditions are impacting the aviation industry around the world, especially in the MENA region where we continue to witness unsettling geopolitical escalations and pressing economic challenges. Nonetheless, Air Arabia will cautiously continue with its growth plans and expanding its geographic reach,” said Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Thani, chairman of Air Arabia.

Just in the first nine months of the year, Air Arabia added 12 new routes to its global network: flights from Sharjah, UAE to Vienna., Kuala Lumpur, Bishkek and Tunis. The carrier also expanded its operation from its Morocco hub with new flights between Casablanca and Lisbon, Pisa, Prague and Tunis while new flights started between Tangier and Lyon. New flights from the carrier’s hub in Egypt started from Sharm El Sheikh to Milan Bergamo, Amman and Napoli; as well as Sohag to Riyadh. 

Al Thani continued: “While Air Arabia managed to register record performance year to date, we remain focused on driving operational efficiency across board and delivering optimum value to our customers”.

Air Arabia reported a net profit of AED 809 million (US$220 million); a 53% increase compared to the AED 530 million ($144 million) reported for the same period last year.

The carrier also announced in October the signing of an agreement with Etihad Aviation Group to launch “Air Arabia Abu Dhabi”, the capital’s first low-cost carrier.