Air Arabia, the first low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, announced today that it will begin twice-weekly flights between Sharjah, UAE, and Chittagong, Bangladesh, starting June 18. Air Arabia’s direct flights to Chittagong, the second-largest city in Bangladesh, will mark the inauguration of the Sharjah-based carrier’s service to the country.
Kyle Haywood, Commercial Director, Air Arabia, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the launch of Air Arabia flights to Chittagong, which will provide comfortable and competitively priced service for both the expatriate Bangladeshi population in the UAE and the Bangladeshi community seeking to visit this booming Gulf Arab state.”
He continued: “With a population of nearly 4 million and as the country’s primary seaport, Chittagong is the commercial and manufacturing capital of Bangladesh. Nearly all imports and exports flow through the city, as do most investors looking to establish operations in the country. Air Arabia is delighted to demonstrate its continued commitment to regional low-cost travel by launching services to this increasingly important South Asian state.”
The frequency of flights to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong is twice-weekly, on Mondays and Fridays. Air Arabia flights will depart from Sharjah at 7:15AM and arrive in Chittagong at 13:50PM local time. On the same days, flights will depart from Chittagong at 14:35PM and arrive in Sharjah at 17:30PM local time.
Chittagong is the 36th destination for the Sharjah-based carrier. Current Air Arabia destinations include: Aleppo, Damascus and Latakia (Syria); Alexandria, Assiut and Luxor (Egypt); Amman (Jordan); Astana and Almaty (Kazakhstan); Bahrain; Beirut (Lebanon); Colombo (Sri Lanka); Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh (KSA), Doha (Qatar); Istanbul (Turkey); Kabul (Afghanistan); Kathmandu (Nepal); Khartoum (Sudan); Kuwait; Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram (India); Muscat (Oman); Sana’a (Yemen); Sharjah (UAE); Tehran (Iran),Yerevan (Armenia), Karachi and Peshawar (Pakistan).
About Air Arabia: Air Arabia was established in February 2003 by an Amiri decree issued by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qassimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates. The company began operations in October of the same year.
Based in Sharjah and with a fleet of nine Airbus A320 aircraft, Air Arabia serves 35 destinations across the Middle East, North Africa, Indian Subcontinent and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Yemen.
Air Arabia is modeled after leading American and European low-cost airlines and is customised to local preferences. Its main focus is to make air travel more convenient through Internet booking and offering the lowest fares in the market without sacrificing on service or safety standards.
