Middle Eastern budget carrier Air Arabia brought its fleet up to 77 single-aisle Airbus jets by the end of the third quarter, as it posted an 8% rise in pre-tax profit to Dhs564 million ($153 million) for the three months.
The airline has introduced six additional aircraft this year, and the fleet includes nine A321LRs as well as 68 A320s.
Most of the fleet is stationed in the United Arab Emirates, with 47 jets in its main Sharjah base and 10 in Abu Dhabi.
Its regional operations in Morocco, Pakistan and Egypt respectively have 11, five and four aircraft. Air Arabia has opened 22 routes across its network this year.
Chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammad Al Thani attributes its third-quarter performance to strong passenger demand, despite geopolitical and economic “challenges” in the period which have forced airlines to deal with airspace restrictions and route adjustments, as well as supply-chain and fuel-price issues.
“Air Arabia successfully expanded its network, increased operating capacity, and maintained a strong operating margin,” he says. “This achievement highlights the resilience of our business model and the strength of our management team.”
Revenues for the nine-month period reached nearly Dhs5 billion, although pre-tax profit was down by 5% to Dhs1.25 billion.
