Middle Eastern budget carrier Air Arabia expects to begin receiving the initial Airbus A320neo-family jets, from its order for 120 aircraft, by the end of this year.
Air Arabia placed the order in late November 2019. At the time it comprised 73 A320neos and 47 A321neos, including 20 long-range A321XLRs.
Airbus’s latest backlog data shows the order composition has slightly altered, to feature 50 A321neos and 70 A320neos. The aircraft will be fitted with CFM International Leap-1A engines.
Air Arabia had previously indicated that, at the time of the order, Airbus was unable to offer slots before 2024 – but this proved beneficial, given the subsequent disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Sharjah-based carrier says that, over the first half of this year, it has added two aircraft to its current Airbus single-aisle fleet – giving it 83 in total.
Air Arabia’s first-half financial performance has been strong, with an 11% rise in net profit to Dhs770 million ($210 million) on an 8% increase in revenues to Dhs3.44 billion.
Over the second quarter its net profit slipped slightly – falling 3% to Dhs427 million – although revenues were still up 2%.
“Despite escalating geopolitical tensions and regional conflict witnessed during this period, which disrupted operations and led to flight cancellations, we responded to these exceptional circumstances with agility and efficiency,” says chair Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Thani.
Air Arabia transported 10.1 million passengers across its various hubs during the first six months.
“This growth came despite ongoing industry challenges such as political instability in some markets, fuel price volatility, currency fluctuations, and supply chain constraints,” Al Thani adds.
“Our ability to expand in such conditions reflects the strength of our business model and the capability of our management team.”
