JEDDAH — Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced Monday that it has welcomed 379,092 passengers in August 2012, an increase of over 22 percent compared to the corresponding month in 2011. The airline also reported that the average seat load factor - passengers as a percentage of total seats available – for the month stood at 83 percent, registering an increase of three per cent over the figure for August 2011. “Eid break is a busy period for air travel across the region, especially this year where the industry witnessed a significant increase in passenger traffic," said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia. “More customers continue to take full advantage of Air Arabia's affordable fares to an ever growing range of destinations. This demonstrates the single most strength of Air Arabia — its proven business model and product offering." In the second quarter of this year, the low-cost pioneer carried 1.3 million passengers, an increase of over 15 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2011. The airline attributes this impressive growth to ever-growing customer demand for its value-for-money services. Air Arabia recently announced the launch of service to Odessa in Ukraine, marking the airline's 76th destination worldwide. In addition, the airline also increased frequency to New Delhi to double daily from its Sharjah hub. – SG
