Air Arabia - all you need to know about it (threads merged)
From the UAE "Gulf News"(5/2/02):
"Air Arabia, the national airline being launched by Sharjah, will have a share capital of Dh10 million, and an operational capital of Dh50 million, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Thani, chairman of Sharjah Department of Civil Aviation, said yesterday.
"This can be increased at a later stage, if required," he added.
He said the outlay would be enough to efficiently run passenger and cargo services: "While some may have expressed doubts about the level of funding, we have done our homework and are confident it is doable."
He said capital would be split 60:40 between the Department of Civil Aviation and the Sharjah International Airport Authority and shares would have a Dh1,000 face value.
"We will be a full-fledged UAE national airline from Sharjah," he said. "Just like any other national airline, we will have bilateral agreements between the UAE and other countries."
Sheikh Abdullah said, in line with the country's open sky policy, Air Arabia would not enjoy preferential treatment, nor would airlines flying to Sharjah be disadvantaged by the airline. "We will complement their services."
The airline is the UAE's third, after Emirates and Gulf Air, in which Abu Dhabi has a stake. Dr. Ghanem Al Hajri, director-general of both the department and the airport, said the airline's premises would initially be in the terminal complex.
"We will finalise our business plan while seeking to firm up destinations and routes, based on the traffic rights we obtain, and the capacities on various sectors."
"We will seek to offer customers safe and secure operations thro-ugh efficient services at competitive rates while keeping in mind their comfort."
He declined to provide details of its positioning, area of operations, or specific destinations. Nor did he reveal plans regarding fleet acquisition. "At this point, all options are open."
He expects the carrier to work out staff needs in three months. "We hope to recruit from the UAE," which will start just after summer."
Sources said the venture, which has been in the pipeline for more than a year and attracted considerable media attention, was fina-lised with a UK consultant.
While plans were finalised some time ago, authorities were waiting for the right time to launch the airline, they added. "The decision to launch at this juncture reiterates their confidence in the project and in the prospects for the region."
Top government officials had declared that one of the emirate's primary thrust areas would be tourism. Experts then said it was vital to set up an airline which can offer feeder services in the region.
Meanwhile, Ajman is also aiming to set up an international airport, catering to chartered and business jets."