Armenia's FlyArna adds first aircraft, obtains AOC

Armenia's Fly Arna schedules late 3Q22 debut

FlyArna (G6, Yerevan) will commence commercial flight operations on July 3 with Egypt and Lebanon its first two destination countries. According to its booking engine, the nascent carrier will offer 3x weekly scheduled return services from Yerevan to Sharm el Sheikh and 2x weekly flights to Hurghada. Plans are also in the offing to serve Beirut in Lebanon although this is subject to regulatory approval.

Ahead of the awarding of its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) and Operator's License (OL) earlier this month, the start-up took delivery of its first aircraft, A320-200 EK-YRA (msn 6782), with two more due.

Fly Arna is a joint venture company between the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) and Air Arabia Group.

Armenia incorporates FlyArna; set to begin certification

Armenia's FlyArna to debut in 2Q22

FlyArna (G6, Yerevan) will start flight operations in April/May 2022, the head of the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF), David Papazian, told a press conference in Yerevan last week.

"FlyArna will begin operations in April or May 2022. First, flights to about four destinations will be operated, then both the list of destinations and the number of airports will expand," he was quoted as saying by local media. "Then we will have two planes. And in a year (i.e., 2023), we will have 12 planes."

FlyArna is a joint venture between ANIF and Air Arabia (G9, Sharjah). The Emirati-based budget airline will provide the start-up with management and operational resources, presumably A320-200 jets. Given its co-parent's heritage, FlyArna will also operate in the LCC space.

Air Arabia Group to form a JV in Pakistan, eyes 2022 launch

Air Arabia Group has entered into a joint venture agreement with Pakistani conglomerate Lakson Group to launch a new low-cost carrier, Fly Jinnah (FJL, Karachi Int'l), with a launch expected in early 2022.

"We are confident that Fly Jinnah will add value to the air transport sector of Pakistan and directly contribute to the local economy through job creation and the development of travel and tourism sector," Air Arabia Group Chairman Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani said.

Fly Jinnah will be based out of Karachi Int'l, where Lakson Group is headquartered. It will initially focus on Pakistani domestic routes before expanding internationally at a later point in time. The two partners did not outline further details concerning the start-up's fleet, network, or exact launch timeline. They underlined that Fly Jinnah would begin its certification drive shortly.

Air Arabia Group and Lakson Group did not specify the shareholding structure of Fly Jinnah. However, Pakistani control and ownership laws limit the involvement of foreign entities to a maximum of 49% of the paid-up capital, with effective...