Air Arabia's official launch

Speaking on the occasion, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani said: "The launch of Air Arabia last October marked a new chapter in the region's aviation market. Offering travellers a simple and efficient service at economical, competitive and value-for-money fares, Air Arabia enables people across the region the opportunity to travel for the first time, if not more frequently." He added: "Air Arabia was born out of the realization of a need in the market - a need to travel, but cost effectively and safely."

The event also coincided with the arrival of Air Arabia's new state-of-the-art A320 aircraft - growing its fleet to three. Offering a superior flight experience to customers, the new aircraft couples the latest in customer comfort with the largest seat pitch in the market and introduces a complimentary in-flight entertainment system.

Commonly recognised as an economical aircraft, the A320 combines the widest and most spacious cabins in its class that allows low-cost airlines to compete on cost and actual product. The class is the preferred choice in the single-aisle market, known for its wide seats, aisles and increased cabin storage, as well as its technological innovation that brings enhanced performance and reliability. The customer ultimately benefits from these returns with unmatched cabin comfort and economics - basically, long range comfort on short haul routes.

Adel Ali said: "With the addition of this third aircraft, Air Arabia is further positioned to service customers throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Indian Subcontinent with nine countries and twelve destinations to date." He concluded: "Future plans include flights to Khartoum on 3 April, which will increase our reach to ten countries and we also have our first flights to India that are in final negotiations."

Air Arabia fares are all quoted one way without any restrictions. The way the fares are structured ultimately depends on market supply and demand; hence, fares increase as seats are sold on every flight. Accordingly, the earlier a passenger books, the more likely it is that they will pay the lowest available fare.

In addition, Air Arabia's fares are offered at such good value mainly due to the operation of one type of aircraft which provides savings on cabin crew training, maintenance and spare parts; the maximum utilization of aircraft and cabin crew through faster turnaround; the adoption of a 'ticketless' airline concept which ultimately results in saving on paper and processing costs and less hassle for the customer, who need not worry about collecting tickets before traveling; and the omission of free in-flight meals for customers, who are given a choice to purchase their food and drinks at reasonably priced rates on board.

Air Arabia is a Sharjah government-owned airline which is currently flying from Sharjah to Bahrain daily, Beirut four days a week, Damascus three days a week, Kuwait three days a week, Muscat five days a week, Alexandria three days a week, Assiut two days a week, Aleppo two days a week, Doha five days a week, Colombo three days a week, Shiraz twice a week and Tehran three times a week.

Air Arabia offers tremendous opportunities to travellers who are looking for competitive fares. It aims to make air travel more convenient and frequent, while providing the lowest fares in the market without sacrificing the standards of quality or service offered.