Joint venture company formed by two leading regional firms
Air Arabia 'Jordan' to serve Europe, Middle East and North Africa markets from Amman, complementing carrier's existing routes and growth strategy
Announcement of Air Arabia's fourth regional hub follows recent launch of operations of the carrier's third hub in Egypt'
Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, and Tantash Group, an Amman-based diversified investment company active in the travel sector, announced today the signing of a joint venture agreement to launch a new low-cost carrier based in Amman, Jordan. The announcement followed a function organised in Amman under the patronage and attendance of his Excellency Minister of Transport, Engineer Alaa Batayneh.
Air Arabia 'Jordan,' the first LCC based in the Hashemite Kingdom, will provide direct service to a range of destinations across the Europe, Middle East and North Africa region from Queen Alia International Airport.
This announcement follows the recent launch of operations of Air Arabia third hub in Alexandria. Following the launch of Air Arabia 'Jordan,' the carrier will provide service from four hubs spanning the Middle East and North Africa region, including its primary hub in Sharjah, UAE, and its Moroccan hub at Mohamed V Airport in Casablanca, which introduced service in April 2009.
"We thank the Jordanian Ministry of Transport for granting all the support to launch this new project. The signing of our joint venture agreement with Tantash Group, one of Jordan's leading investment companies, represents yet another milestone in the ongoing evolution of Air Arabia," said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia. "At a time when the global and regional economy continues to demonstrate strong signs of sustained recovery, we are confident of the long-term growth opportunities for the first low-cost carrier in the Kingdom, which will provide the high level of service, operational reliability and value-for-money fares that have become hallmarks of the Air Arabia brand."
"With nearly two decades of experience in the travel and tourism sector in Jordan, Tantash Group, like our partners Air Arabia, is a pioneer in the region's rapidly expanding travel sector," said Mazen Tantash, Chairman, Tantash Group. "This partnership therefore represents a unique synergy of skills, experience and management vision, which will provide significant benefits for travellers based in Jordan and across the wider EMEA region."
The new carrier, whose operations will be managed by the Air Arabia Group, will follow the successful low-cost model introduced to the MENA region by Air Arabia. Further information regarding the new joint venture will be communicated in the near future.
Air Arabia launched service from Sharjah, UAE, in October 2003. Today, the carrier provides service to 64 routes, spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, from its hubs in the UAE, Egypt and Morocco.
Tantash Group, headquartered in Amman, is a diversified investment company, which is active in travel and tourism, real estate, financial services and industrial investment.
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About Air Arabia:
Air Arabia (PJSC), listed on the Dubai Financial Market, is the Middle East and North Africa's leading low-cost carrier (LCC). Air Arabia commenced operations in October 2003 and currently operates a total fleet of 23 new Airbus A320 aircraft, serving 64 routes from three hubs in UAE, Morocco and Egypt.
Air Arabia is an award-winning airline that focuses on offering comfort, reliability and value-for-money air travel. For further information, please visit: www.airarabia.com.
About Tantash Group:
The company was established with the objective of investing in businesses with recognized high return potential. Tantash management approach is based on the foundation of successful integration of strategy, management processes, information technology, and people as being essential components for modern enterprise management. Realizing the full potential of an organization, reinventing customer care, managing resources effectively, and creating teamwork structures are also major elements for optimized organization performance.
For further information, please contact:
Housam Raydan
Corporate Communications Manager
Air Arabia PJSC
Sharjah, UAE
Tel: 971-6-5088968
Fax: 971-6-5580031
E-mail: hraydan@airarabia.com
Nicholas Nesson/Gunjan Chaurasia/ Tasneem Abdur-Rashid
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-3355969
Fax: 971-4-3356080
E-mail: n.nesson@asdaa.com/g.chaurasia@asdaa.com/ t.rashid@asdaa.com
© Press Release 2010
