Air Arabia encouraged by business growth in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a suitable place for the aviation business as evidenced by Air Arabia's business growing by three to four percent year-on-year, Adel Abdullah Ali, group CEO of Air Arabia said yesterday.
He said this at a press meet at a city hotel, which also marked the first time that a group CEO of Air Arabia visited Bangladesh in its 17 years of operation.
Among others, Rajesh Nurala, regional general manager of Air Arabia, and Abdur Rahim, chief executive officer of MGH, the GSA of Air Arabia, were present at the press meet.
Air Arabia, the first and the largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, is headquartered in Sharjah, UAE. The airline started operations in 2003 by introducing its low-cost business model to the Middle East and North Africa.
Air Arabia began operations in Bangladesh in 2007.
"We have been doing business successfully in Bangladesh for the past 17 years. Operating between Bangladesh and UAE is one of the key routes of Air Arabia," Abdullah said.
He added that they had seen growth in their operations in Bangladesh, which was very encouraging.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Abdullah said they would think about increasing flights to and from Bangladesh depending on the situation.
"In Bangladesh, the aviation market is good and the growth is good. All indicators of doing business are positive in the country," he told this correspondent.
He said when the economy of a country grows at a quick pace, more airlines come and the frequency of flights also increases, which is a win-win situation for everybody.
At present, Air Arabia is operating 57 non-stop flights to and from Bangladesh per week.
Abdullah said Air Arabia had managed to change the way air travel was perceived in the Arab world by opening it up to all segments of the community and putting air travel within everyone's reach.
He also said the airline owns and operates a total fleet of 73 Airbus A320 and A321.
It is amongst the world's best-performing airlines in terms of operational efficiency and profitability.
Abdullah added that Air Arabia was a multi-hub operator. "With seven strategic hubs located in UAE, Morocco, Egypt, Armenia and Pakistan, the airline serves more than 190 international and domestic routes in more than 50 countries," he also said.
When asked if Air Arabia intended to establish a hub in Bangladesh, Abdullah said they were not thinking about that right now.
Asked about reducing airfare for the country's migrant workers, Abdullah said that people from Bangladesh could visit their families once every three years in the past. However, due to low fares charged by Air Arabia, Bangladeshi people can now visit their country thrice in one year.
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