Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Mena region, has been recognised by well known aircraft manufacturer Airbus for achieving the highest level of operational utilisation in the world.

This is for the fourth consecutive year that Air Arabia has maintained the lead among all global airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft.

According to the latest reports from Airbus, Air Arabia achieved the highest aircraft utilisation in 2008, with 99.8 per cent operational reliability.

“Operational excellence and service reliability are integral to our success. We are honoured that these attributes have been recognised by a prestigious aircraft manufacturer such as Airbus,” said Adel Ali, board member and group chief executive officer of Air Arabia.

“Being a leading low cost carrier means that we continuously strive to optimise our resources and infrastructure to best serve our passengers,” he added.

“Our employees are the driving force behind our seamless service, and we wish to thank them for their contribution. As we undertake a more ambitious growth path in a challenging business environment, we continue to focus on maximising our efficiency levels.”

In selecting Air Arabia in its operational excellence rankings, Airbus conducted a detailed technical analysis of all carriers in the segment.

Air Arabia recorded the highest indicators for operational reliability and aircraft utilisation, reflecting the carrier’s extremely high maintenance and technical standards.

Currently, Air Arabia has a fleet of 16 Airbus A320 aircraft, and has already placed an order for 44 additional Airbus A320. By the end of 2009, Air Arabia expects to add two more aircraft.

In January 2007, Air Arabia received a special certificate from Airbus for achieving the highest average level of A320 fleet utilisation during 2005-2006.

In June 2007, Airbus named Air Arabia winner of the award for operational excellence (2005-2007) for recording the world’s highest indicators for operational reliability. – TradeArabia News Service