Air Arabia Maroc officially launches

The event was attended by Mr. Karim Ghellab, Minister of Equipment and Transport of the Kingdom of Morocco along with HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed AL Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia, Mr. Mohamed Hassan Bensalah, Chairman of Air Arabia Maroc and other leading officials and members of the public and private sector.

Air Arabia Maroc will start operations in May 6, 2009 with the inaugural flight to Stansed Airport in London, United Kingdom followed by selected destinations across Europe and North Africa. The new airline, led by Managing Director, Mr. Adel ALI - will offer customers comfort, reliability, and value for money air travel from and into The Moroccan city of Casablanca.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Air Arabia Maroc as the newest participant in the Kingdom's dynamic aviation sector," said Mr. Karim Ghellab, Minister of Equipment and Transport of the Kingdom of Morocco. "The launch of the airline is a significant event, expanding the choice of affordable flights between Morocco, Europe and North Africa, and contributing to the growth of business, tourism, and personal travel in the Kingdom and beyond."

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia said, "In just over five years, Air Arabia has established itself as one of the region's great success stories, and today marks a key event in the airline's history. Air Arabia Maroc will reach the wider European, Middle Eastern and African markets, further expanding the strong presence and brand recognition Air Arabia already enjoys. We thank the Moroccan Direction of Civil Aviation (DAC), Mohamed V airport and all our strategic partners for marking the launch of Air Arabia Maroc."

"The Kingdom's newest carrier provides Morocco-based passengers with extremely cost-effective options to travel across North Africa and Europe, while offering excellent value-for-money opportunities for regional travellers to visit the country," said Mr. Mohamed Hassan Bensalah, Chairman, Air Arabia Maroc. "We look forward to commencing our first flights in the next few days, and contributing to the ongoing economic growth and tourism development of Morocco."

The new airline was founded by Air Arabia, the first and leading LCC in the Middle East and North Africa, in partnership with Regional Air Lines, the leading private carrier in Morocco, and Ithmaar Bank of Bahrain. Air Arabia has assumed management control of the carrier and is applying its successful business model to the management of the newly established LCC.

Air Arabia Maroc will start operations with two brand new Airbus A320 aircraft offering its passengers best economy configuration with 31' seat pitch.

The Airbus A320 aircraft is recognised ýas the benchmark in the single-aisle aircraft category. Each aircraft features fly by wire ýcontrols and all share a unique cockpit and operational commonality across the ýrange.