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Air Arabia to Increase Number of Aircraft in the UAE

DUBAI — Adel Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, revealed that his company plans to increase the number of aircraft operating in the UAE at an annual rate of four to five.

In an interview with CNBC Arabiya, Ali stressed that there is no reduction in the expansion plans for Air Arabia as approved by the company in its five-year plan.

These expansion plans include four new planes to enter service into 2009 and the opening of a major station for the company in Casablanca, Morocco to transfer passengers to Europe and Africa. Ali disclosed in the interview that future flight bookings for the airline during the months of January and February 2009 are very good.

Air Arabia is expected to announce good results for 2008, exceeding the previous year’s in terms of operations and passenger numbers.

Ali also predicted that the Low-Fare airline industry will perform very well in 2009, due to the global economic situation and the trend of cost-cutting. These factors supplement the positive impact of lower fuel prices and the diverse range of nationalities living in the United Arab Emirates leading to a continued increase in the number of passengers travelling.