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| Tuesday, 3 August 2004 |
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More Air Arabia flights to Colombo from Sharjah by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi Air Arabia is planning to further increase its flights to Colombo from Sharjah amidst the increasing demand from Sri Lankan expatriates in the Middle East and tourists. "We are planning to operate a flight daily from Sharjah to Colombo and vice versa shortly," Air Arabia's Head of Sales A.K. Nizar told a news briefing on Saturday. Currently, Air Arabia flies to Sharjah from Colombo every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Air Arabia is the first low cost airline of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region. Nizar was in Colombo during the weekend with a large group of executives from various corporate sectors in the UAE to witness the Asia Cup Cricket match, as a part of Air Arabia's plan to promote Sri Lanka as an attractive tourist destination. "As a favourite past time for many, the Asia Cup Cricket Tournament was the perfect opportunity for us to look at what our customers wanted and be able to offer affordable and convenient travel packages including accommodation, airport transfers, tournament tickets and stadium transfers," Nizar said. Nizar said that Air Arabia was committed to offering the lowest possible market fare at any given date to any particular destination. "Being the first low cost airline in the region, our fares are 30 to 35 per cent less compared to conventional airlines. Still, we offer the same services." He said that the fare reduction is carried out after a comprehensive study on the airline operations." We worked very hard on the cost reduction and the money saved is passed on to the customer." According to Nizar, Air Arabia passengers can avail themselves of sizeable savings when booking."We do not have tickets since we are a web based airline. Each ticket costs eight dollars.Customers can book tickets through the Internet and we also have only economy class." Nizar said that the adoption of the ticketless airline concept has resulted in a saving on paper and processing costs and hassle for the customer. Also, Air Arabia has no free in-flight meals for passengers. "Instead, they are given a choice to purchase their food and drinks at reasonably priced rates on board. We have cut down the costs on meals which is normally added to the ticket. In our flight, a meal is not more than three dollars whereas on a conventional flight it is around 20 dollars." he said. Since commencing operations in January this year, Air Arabia has handled 12,000 passengers from Sri Lanka. "It's a satisfactory achievement. When the prices come down, Sri Lankan expatriates in the Middle East can frequently visit their families in Sri Lanka." Lower fares of Air Arabia do not mean a compromise on quality and safety. Air Arabia flies the Airbus A 320 aircraft leased out from France. Besides, Air Arabia offers the largest seat pitch in the regional market - 34 inches - in comparison to 29 and at the most 32 on most regional airlines. Air Arabia is also committed to make Sri Lanka a popular tourist destination."Sri Lanka is a fantastic tourist destination and what it can offer is second to none. We are trying to popularise Sri Lanka by offering attractive holiday packages." At present, Air Arabia flies to fourteen destinations including Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman."We are now looking at new destinations with our plans to add new aircraft to the existing fleet." Nizar was highly satisfied with the Air Arabia's achievements in Sri Lanka over the last few months."We are satisfied about the performance of Air Arabia in Sri Lanka." "We are happy to be a partner of Air Arabia which could greatly serve Sri Lankans, said Milton Kuruppu, CEO Nawaloka Aviation which is the General Sales Agent for Air Arabia. Kuruppu who counts over two decades experience in the airline industry said there is an overwhelming demand for Air Arabia in Sri Lanka due to the low cost and its destinations. |
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