Air Arabia is a renowned low-cost Emirati Airline. It is based out of Sharjah Freight Center at the Sharjah International Airport. The airline is known to fly to as many as 155 locations that include the Middle East, North Africa, India, Central Asia, Europe, Sharjah and so on. It is also known to cover places like Casablanca, Fez, Nador, Tangier, Ras Al Khaimah and Alexandria. However, it’s mainly based out of Sharjah International Airport. This airline is also a member of the new Arab Air Carriers Organization.
The company was established in 2003 by an Emirati decree that was issued by Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. He was the then ruler of Sharjah and also a member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates. In fact, this was launched as the first low cost carrier of Middle east. They started flight operations during the end of 2003, and their first flight was from Sharjah. Within a year, they were in profit and they also came out with an IPO in 2007. Since then, they have included various airbus and A320 aircrafts in their fleet.
Air Arabia has since then emerged as a pioneer in the realm of low cost airlines and has become a much renowned brand in the aviation industry. The current livery that is used on the aircrafts was designed in the year 2003. The body of the aircraft is colored in 3 colors – Red, Grey and White. The tail of the aircraft and the engine has the Sharjah logo embossed, which is a type of a bird.
What was initially launched as the first low cost airline of the Middle East and North Africa has done well for itself. In the year 2016, they were touted as the third best airline company amongst the top 50 global airlines by the “Airfrance Journal” which is a UK based magazine. The results were evaluated after checking and comparing performance of 137 global airlines. The parameters considered in this were – Total Revenue, Net Income, and Passenger Yield, Liquidity and Leverage. Currently, it can easily be touted that Air Arabia is among the leading airlines in the world.
Not only is this airline loved by the passengers and preferred as their most used airlines, it also proves to be profitable for most of the customers, especially when they book their flight through Cleartrip. In terms of their fixed charge cover and hold on liquidity, they are amongst the top 3 airlines in the world. Air Arabia is known to have a liquidity rate of 49.2 % that ensures that they have adequate cash in their kitty to divert funds into supporting business expansion and also taking the impact of the market headwinds. The company has enough funds to absorb the market fluctuations as well.
The company is known for its solid financial standing without compromising on their high level of operational standards. Air Arabia currently operates from as many as 5 hubs and covers 120 routes across 33 countries. They have also got various awards as the “Best in class low cost Airline in the Middle east “. This award was given by the Business Traveler Middle East Awards in 2016. This award was based in Dubai. They have received various awards like this one, thanks to their ease of booking, speed of booking, easy check in norms, guarantee to be on time and also for the flight comfort it offers.
Currently, they have three main hubs – Borg El Arab Airport, Mohamed V International Airport and Sharjah International Airport. They also have a tie up with the Arab Air Carriers Organization and boast of 3 subsidiaries in their kitty- Air Arabia Egypt, Air Arabia Jordan and Air Arabia Maroc. They have a fleet of 54 aircrafts and they fly to as many as 155 destinations. Their holding company is known as PJSC and they are also listed in the Dubai Stock Exchange.
Another aspect of Air Arabia, which is loved by the customers is their Loyalty and rewards program. They came up with this program in 2015. This was the first loyalty scheme that was launched by any low-cost airline. The scheme was termed as “Air Rewards program”. The rewards model is based not on the price the customers pay for buying tickets on Air Arabia, but on the distance of the flights opted by the customers.
The former is the practice adopted by various other airlines, but Air Arabia has a much more robust and well thought out scheme that many can avail and benefit from. This is an online loyalty scheme where from time to time many offers are rolled out. The clients can avail as much as 10% cashback as points earned, they also have the flexibility to redeem the points as and required by them. They have a plethora of payment and reward schemes that customers can avail. Also, the fact that makes these schemes a hit amongst the customers is the fact that any customer of Air Arabia can avail these schemes and rewards, as it is not limited to the number of slots or a selected few.
Also, customers love the fact that the points earned on the schemes can be used and shared with anyone. Their reward points are simple, 100 points is equivalent to US$1. These points/ rewards can be used and redeemed against the following
Though they do not serve alcohol on flights, they have a number of options when it comes to in-flight meal options. The crew on flight is known to be extremely caring and understanding and is known to go out of their way to make the passengers feel comfortable and at home.
In short, Air Arabia, with all these parameters together, ensures that Air Arabia is one of the leading airlines in the world. Their passengers love them for all the features they offer.
Read More : Top 10 Reasons to Fly With Air Arabia
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