Air Arabia launches Ras Al Khaimah base with two aircraft and seven routes

Four hands are better than one! Sharing the job of cutting the cake to celebrate the launch of Air Arabia’s base at Ras Al Khaimah Airport on 6 May 2014 are (left to right): His Excellency Engr. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), Ras Al Khaimah; His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia; His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Saud Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah; and His Excellency Sheikh Khalid Bin Issam Al Qassimi, Chairman of Sharjah Civil Aviation.

Air Arabia on 6 May launched its newest base at Ras Al Khaimah Airport in the United Arab Emirates (just over 50 kilometres north-west of the airline’s main base at Sharjah, which is itself only 20 kilometres from Dubai), with two based A320s and an initial network of seven destinations. Since the beginning of the year the airport has been without scheduled services following the demise of RAK Airways at the very end of 2013.

Each aircraft operates two return flights per day – room for one more route

Sector lengths range from 327 to 3,483 kilometres

Each of the airline’s new services from Ras Al Khaimah (RKT) are also well served from Sharjah (SHJ) and from Dubai (DXB), often by multiple carriers. The shortest sector to Muscat in Oman is less than 330 kilometres, while the airline’s most distant destination, Dhaka in Bangladesh, is over 10 times further away.

What they said

His Excellency Engr. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), Ras Al Khaimah, said: “This important collaboration will give a major boost to the economic development of Ras Al Khaimah and reinforces the growing excitement about the emirate as an investment destination. As our designated carrier, Air Arabia’s operations will be a key component of a comprehensive strategy to develop a vibrant, distinct and sustainable tourism sector in Ras Al Khaimah to rival the most established destinations in the region.”

Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said: “The increase in tourists and visitors entering Ras Al Khaimah suggests that a solid potential for developing the emirate travel and tourism sector exists. This partnership offers enormous potential benefit not only to the local aviation industry but to the overall economy. With our hubs in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, Air Arabia is well positioned to cater to the travel needs of the Northern Emirates, a position we believe will deliver real value to our customers and shareholders while transforming the region’s tourism sector by bringing millions of potential new visitors within just a few hours’ reach.”