Air Arabia, the UAE-based low-cost carrier, said it flew more than 1.6 million passengers in the first half of the year, a 33 per cent increase from a year ago.
Passenger load factors, or the percentage of seats filled, averaged 86 per cent in the first half, a three percentage point increase compared with the same period last year, the Sharjah-based carrier said yesterday in an e-mailed statement.
"As we continue to expand our list of destinations and grow our fleet, we hope to introduce even greater numbers of people to our award-winning service and competitively priced fares. We look forward to passing another 10 million passenger mark in a very short time," said AK Nizar, Head of Commercial Department at Air Arabia.
The carrier purchased three aircraft during the first half of this year and increased frequencies to its existing destinations, providing customers with the region's best flight connectivity.
The carrier also introduced four new destinations in the first six months of this year, including Kozhikode, India; New Delhi, India; Shiraz, Iran; and Dhaka, Bangladesh. This increased Air Arabia's total network to 41 destinations across the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and Central Asia.