AIR ARABIA recently announced that it has been recognised by Airbus, one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers, for achieving the highest level of operational utilisation in the world.
This is for the fourth consecutive year that Air Arabia has maintained the lead among all global airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft. According to the latest reports from Airbus, Air Arabia achieved the highest aircraft utilisation in 2008, with 99.8 per cent operational reliability.
“Operational excellence and service reliability are integral to our success. We are honoured that these attributes have been recognised by a prestigious aircraft manufacturer such as Airbus,” said Adel Ali, board member and group chief executive officer of Air Arabia.
In selecting Air Arabia in its operational excellence rankings, Airbus conducted a detailed technical analysis of all carriers in the segment. Air Arabia recorded the highest indicators for operational reliability and aircraft utilisation.
Currently, Air Arabia has a fleet of 16 Airbus A320 aircraft, and has already placed an order for 44 additional Airbus A320. By the end of 2009, Air Arabia expects to add two more aircraft and increase its fleet size to 18.
Meanwhile, following the conclusion of its second annual general meeting held in Sharjah recently, the board of directors of Air Arabia announced that the assembly approved the distribution of a cash dividend of 10 per cent of the company’s share capital.
At the meeting the assembly approved the report of the company’s auditors for the financial year ending December 31, 2008. The assembly also approved the balance sheet and profit and loss accounts of the company for the same period.
Air Arabia achieved a net profit of Dh510 million in 2008, an increase of 35.6 per cent compared to Dh376 million in 2007. During the same period, the carrier posted a turnover of Dh2.066 billion, up 61 per cent compared to Dh1.283 billion in 2007.
