Air Arabia’s chief executives said the carrier will open its new operating hub in Alexandria, Egypt, during the first quarter of 2010. The biggest low cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East had previously announced plans for a hub in Egypt. Chief Executive Officer Adel Ali told an aviation conference in Al Ain that the hub in Egypt will make the carrier a truly Pan-Arab airline, because it will fill a gap in coverage of the Middle East.
Air Arabia will begin service in Alexandria with two aircraft and then gradually add planes as it expands its routes in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Ali said Air Arabia, like other LCC in the Middle East, has been negatively impacted by the combined effects of the economic recession and gradual increase in airline capacity. He said “The current market sentiment is showing more (a) more positive (trend)”
