Page 273 - SHARJAH AIRPORT PR REPORT - OCTOBER 2023

10/27/23, 9:58 AM Air Arabia upbeat about growth amid shift to Abu Dhabi's new airport terminal

Air Arabia is receiving interest from cities and businesses interested in creating new joint venture airlines, group chief executive Adel Ali said. Photo: Air
Arabia
Air Arabia Maroc, which is based in Casablanca, is “doing good”, particularly, as Morocco hosted the annual
meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund earlier this month.
Performance at its hub in Borg Al Arab International Airport in Alexandria, Egypt, is also “very good” amid
demand from tourists and Egyptian expatriates.

Plans for Air Arabia Sudan, its joint venture with Sudanese conglomerate Dal Group, have been temporarily
shelved amid the war in the country but will be reviewed once fighting ends, Mr Ali said.

Air Arabia is getting “a lot of interest” from cities and businesses looking to set up a joint venture airline.

“Opportunities tend to knock on our door and we evaluate these,” Mr Ali said. “But what we’re busy with now is
growing our existing hubs … Our hands are full and we haven’t looked beyond that.”
Airbus plane deliveries in 2025

To cope with the group-wide growth, the airline has signed an agreement to lease eight planes that will be
added to its fleet in 2024, all of which will be delivered before the summer of next year, he said.

It leased a total of 23 jets in 2022 and 2023.
Air Arabia currently has no plans to buy new aircraft, after its signed a $14 billion (Dh51 billion) firm order for 120
Airbus A320 family jets at the Dubai Airshow in 2019, Mr Ali said.

The delivery of those jets – including A320 Neos, A321 Neos and A321 XLRs – has now been delayed to the first
quarter of 2025, from the fourth quarter of 2024, due to supply chain problems facing the global aviation
industry, Mr Ali said.

The airline is scheduled to receive 20 planes each year from 2025 until 2030.
Jet engine selection

Air Arabia is also close to reaching a decision on an engine that will power these single-aisle planes, Mr Ali
said, declining to provide a time frame.

The airline is continuing discussions with General Electric's CFM venture and Pratt & Whitney, the rival
providers for the Airbus A320 Neo, for the engine order.

The carrier has been “slow in deciding” because of the production issues facing engine makers, he said.

The new jets will offer a reduction on fuel burn of about 12 per cent, a key part of its sustainability efforts.

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