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10/23/23, 11:02 AM Timeframe: When Air Arabia launched its first flight to Bahrain

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Timeframe: When Air Arabia launched its first

flight to Bahrain

The Sharjah-based airline has operated for 20 years since its first flight in 2003

Sharjah launched Air Arabia with a flight to Bahrain, billing itself as the first low-cost carrier in the Middle East. AFP

Faisal Salah
Oct 20, 2023

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Twenty years ago, the Middle East’s first budget airline, Air Arabia, launched. Its inaugural flight was from
Sharjah – where it is based – to Bahrain.

The airline began operations with two Airbus A320s, which made trips to Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and
Syria.
Air Arabia was established on February 3, 2003 by an Amiri Decree issued by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad
Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah.

The airline broke even in its first year of operations and went on to create many
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joint ventures throughout the region.
Timeframe: When Abu Dhabi's
Middle East Film Festival found its In the past two decades, Air Arabia has become known for its regional low-cost
feet travel, introducing concepts new at the time, including a pay-as-you-go model
for in-flight services.

The airline has also shown a commitment to environmental sustainability by investing in fuel-efficient aircraft
and implementing eco-friendly practices to reduce its carbon footprint.

Now with a fleet of more than 60 aircraft, Air Arabia flies to 170 destinations with its shortest flights going to
Gulf destinations such as Muscat and Manama, while some of its longest flights go to Milan, Italy and Kuala

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