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Air Arabia all set to make China foray

Starting on February 10, the airline will fly regular non-stop services from its main hub in Sharjah to Urumqi, the largest city in Western China.

Sharjah: Air Arabia is all set to make a foray into China market by starting three scheduled weekly flights to Urumqi in February, the airline announced on Monday.

Starting on February 10, the airline will fly regular non-stop services from its main hub in Sharjah to Urumqi, the largest city in Western China. It will be the first low-cost airline from the Middle East and Africa (Mena) to enter the Chinese market.

“The Chinese aviation sector has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years and we are delighted to be the first low-cost carrier from the Mena region to play an important role in this incredible story,” said Adel A. Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia.

“We have had our eye on the Chinese market for some time and are now ready to begin regular services to one of the world’s great economies,” he said.

Located in the Xinjiang district of China, Urumqi is a modern industrial city of 3.3 million people and a major transportation hub in the region. Flights will depart Sharjah International Airport on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 09:35, arriving at Urumqi International Airport at 18:15 that evening. Return flights will leave Urumqi on the same days at 19:05 and arrive in Sharjah at 20:45.

“With a large population, strong economy and vibrant cultural scene, Urumqi represents an exciting first Chinese destination for us and we hope to add more routes over time. This is a major move for Air Arabia and an important step in strengthening connectivity between the rapidly growing economies of the Middle East and Asia,” Ali said.  

Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, said Air Arabia’s move to enter Chinese market stems from the fact that it is under pressure to innovate new routes because of flydubai.

“The airline has to to establish new routes that its rivals haven’t yet started and so China is a smart and developed market to move into,” Ahmad said.

Ali said Air Arabia could lease aircraft to expand capacity into Europe and North Africa instead of ordering new planes to boost its fleet comprising of 40 Airbus A320s, serving some 100 destinations from its four hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt.

“Leasing new jets is a good way to boost capacity without having to order a new airplane and wait a few years for it. The move will provide a short-term boost and invariably gives much needed lift to suit the growing demand,” Ahmad said.

The Dubai Financial Market-listed airline ordered 44 Airbus A320s in 2007 and 29 of those had been delivered by November 2014. The airline will take delivery of six A320s in 2015, and it also leases another eight of the same type of aircraft.

“But those orders had not factored in the Jordan purchase,” Ali told Reuters on the sidelines of an aviation conference.

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com