Air Arabia is set to announce the third hub to join Sharjah and Casablanca. It will probably be somewhere in the Levant or North Africa region, if analysts are to be believed, with Beirut in Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia each identified as likely locations.
For Air Arabia, a third base signals the beginning of a very important phase of its development. As the growth out of Sharjah is expected to slow, the airline is trying to use its wealth of experience and commercial success, and also funds from its 2007 IPO as a springboard to expand around the region. It is spreading its brand across the Middle East much as some of the great budget carriers worldwide have done.
Air Asia, one of the world's biggest budget airlines, has eight bases in South East Asia, while Ryanair of Ireland has 34 in Europe for its 200 aircraft. As low-cost carriers, these airlines use the point-to-point model - carrying passengers on one leg only. This allows them to maintain just one type of aircraft, as opposed to the big full-service airlines like Lufthansa, British Airways and Emirates, which use a hub-and-spoke model to feed regional traffic into their hub and then carry passengers on higher-margin long-haul flights.
Even though Air Arabia launched its Sharjah base six years ago, the Middle East is still poorly represented by budget airlines, which account for about 7 per cent of regional air travel, according to research by Nomura Securities. This compares with a share of about 25 per cent in Europe, Asia and North America. With hundreds of millions of potential customers in the Middle East, it's surprising there has not been more interest in launching budget airlines here for quick regional flights. Short flights are relatively easy affairs to operate, and passengers are generally unfussy if they only have to sit for a few hours.
That means price is king, especially as the downturn has forced companies and individuals to fly less in business class and more in economy. "The economic slowdown classically favours the low-cost model," said Scott Darling, an analyst at Nomura Securities in Dubai. This would suggest that the first airline to branch out through the region and provide a punctual, low-cost and hassle-free flying experience stands to profit considerably.
To date, that airline would seem to be Air Arabia. It operates 24 Airbus A320 aircraft, with most based in Sharjah and a few of its new deliveries flying out of its second hub in Casablanca, which launched in May. Adel Ali, the group chief executive of Air Arabia, has said he believed each of the three hubs could accommodate 25 aircraft, and he is not stopping there. "If our plans for all the hubs that we have in mind in the next five years come up and are all approved, then Air Arabia will require up to 100 aeroplanes," Mr Ali said recently.
As well, Air Arabia has a young fleet, and this is one of the biggest factors that differentiates it from its competition. Many of the state-owned carriers in the region - with the exception of some of the Gulf's modern and luxurious long-haul airlines - have dismal offerings. In expressing his optimism with the Casablanca hub, Mr Ali said his competition consisted of other low-cost carriers cramming passengers into old aircraft, or conventional airlines that charged too much.
This focus on new markets has meant that Air Arabia has slowed its growth at Sharjah, although Mr Ali has said there was still enough demand to double its focus on some routes. Air Arabia's expansion is by no means guaranteed, however, and its plan to pioneer budget travel in emerging countries could face roadblocks. Last year, it joined Yeti Airlines to launch a budget subsidiary, flyyeti.com, but pulled out after only a few months, citing political instability and operational issues.
With its success, however, Air Arabia will find itself competing more with other lower-cost players. In terms of traffic between India and the UAE, the budget carrier Air India Express is the second-largest airline, by weekly seat capacity, after Emirates. Air Arabia is third, offering 13.1 per cent of total capacity, or 29,500 seats per week, according to Innovata. Jazeera Airways also has grander plans beyond simply operating out of Kuwait City. It plans to open another hub in the Middle East and will announce its selection by the end of the year.
Even flydubai, despite its name, has not explicitly ruled out additional hubs, saying only that it is too early to discuss such matters. The Dubai start-up, which launched in June, will also be a worthy competitor for travel to the Sharjah and Dubai greater metropolitan area, offering more convenience to Dubai residents because it flies out of Dubai International Airport instead of Sharjah, while also offering a comfortable but low-cost service.
Within a matter of a few years, flydubai aims to grow from four aircraft to 50. When that happens, it is very likely it will compete directly with Air Arabia on many of its main routes in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. But by that time, assuming all goes to plan, Air Arabia should be reaping the fruits of its current expansion efforts and recording growth at some of the Middle East's up-and-coming airports.
igale@thenational.ae
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
Saturday's results
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
THREE
Director: Nayla Al Khaja
Starring: Jefferson Hall, Faten Ahmed, Noura Alabed, Saud Alzarooni
Rating: 3.5/5
The Mandalorian season 3 episode 1
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Stars: Pedro Pascal and Katee Sackhoff
Rating: 4/5
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
MEDIEVIL (1998)
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government