Air Arabia (G9, Sharjah) will begin flying from Ras al Khaimah International on May 6 marking the airline's maiden operations as the emirate's official flag carrier. The LCC signed an agreement with the government of Ras al Khaimah in February allowing it to use the airport as its hub.
Despite its proximity to Air Arabia's Sharjah hub - just 80kms away - Chief Executive Adel Ali said Ras al Khaimah was still a viable business option.
"It's (RAK) a growing market and we are all seeing its financial growth," he told Arabian Business news. "Every business will have challenges and risks. We evaluated both and we are prepared for it. We are positive that challenges that will emerge from this hub are manageable."
Using two Airbus A320s, Air Arabia will serve the following cities: Jeddah International in Saudi Arabia, Cairo International in Egypt, Muscat in Oman, Islamabad International, Lahore International and Peshawar in Pakistan, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Kozhikode in India.
Air Arabia stepped in to fill the void left by RAK Airways (Ras al Khaimah International) which folded in late 2013. It currently operates extensive flights from its three main hubs in Casablanca Mohamed V, Alexandria Borg el Arab and Sharjah to destinations throughout the Middle East, Asia, Europe, North Africa and East Africa.
