Temporary Low Cost Travel Cafe

attitudetravel · Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 397 Location: London, UK

Air Arabia's expansion continues apace.

Not content with merely launching new routes this autumn connecting Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates with Kyiv in Ukraine, Hyderabad in Central India and Nairobi in Kenya, the largest low fare airline in the Middle East has plans to establish a new, second hub in Rabat, the capital of Morocco soon.

attitudetravel · Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 397 Location: London, UK

Air Arabia's first attempt to establish a second hub in Kathmandu, Nepal failed earlier in 2008.

Due to political difficulties on the ground, the Air Arabia subsidiary Fly Yeti which had planned to operate a network connecting Kathmandu low cost to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, to Hong Kong and to other cities across Asia, was not able to commence operations.

attitudetravel · Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 397 Location: London, UK

I interviewed Air Arabia CEO Adel Ali at the recent World Low Cost Airlines Congress 2008 and questioned him about the new Air Arabia base in Morocco.

Ali was reluctant to reveal any specific low cost destinations planned from Rabat at this point, but he did indicate that, unlike the two existing Morocco-based low cost carriers, Atlas Blue and Jet 4 you, the new branch of Air Arabia would fly not only to destinations in Europe but also to cities across northern and western Africa.

Is it too soon to speculate that after transforming the Middle Eastern skyscape, Air Arabia will now lead the charge to revolutionise the skies over Africa?