Egypt gives AOC to Air Arabia as first routes planned

Middle Eastern budget carrier Air Arabia is putting together the final touches to launch its Air Arabia Egypt brand with the first flights due to begin in the next two weeks.

The airline which is headquartered in Sharjah, UAE and already runs a major hub operatoon in Casablanca through its Air Arabia Maroc venture has been working with an Egyptian partner Travco for more than a year to secure a base in Egypt. It has now been granted its AOC by the Egyptian civil aviation authority.

"Linking up with established travel company Travco rather than another airline made sense given the size of the international tourist market there," said Air Arabian chief executive Adel Ali: “They complement us.”

The first routes to operate from Alexandria will be to Khatoum and to Kuwait.

In an exclusive interview with Arabian Aerospace, Ali said the airline was already in discussions about operating a second hub by the Red Sea. The airline will begin with two A320 aircraft.

It has already agreed maintenace and spares deals with Egypt Air Maintenance & Engineering and A J Walter

EGME provides maintenance repair and overhaul of commercial aircraft, engines and components. In recent months EGME has renewed its EASA approval and signed a joint venture with Rolls-Royce to establish Egypt Aero Management Services (EAMS).

AJW says it will provide spares leasing and power-by-the-hour support to Air Arabia Egypt. "AJW is well positioned to fully support EGME from its UK base close to Gatwick and Heathrow airports and already provides a range of tailored, flexible and competitively priced component services to many customers across Europe, the Middle-East and Africa," says the firm.