Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Thani AIR Arabia Group, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, reported a net profit of AED226 million for the three months ending Sept. 30, 2012,, an increase of 126 percent as compared to AED100 million in the corresponding period in 2011, demonstrating its ability to deliver strong profits quarter after quarter. The carrier's turnover for the third quarter reached AED 836 million, an increase of 19 percent compared to the same period last year, suggesting that the airline is well on track to achieve a remarkable year. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia, described the exceptional financial performance as a result of the airline's strong business model, excellent cost control margins and its prudent growth strategy. He said: “The sustained profitability and solid growth margins signal that Air Arabia is on a steady growth trajectory. The extremely positive financials further validates our concerted efforts to unlock opportunities for the low-cost model, which is pioneered by Air Arabia in the wider Arab region, while continuously making air travel accessible to millions of customers every year.” The low-cost pioneer enjoyed ever increasing demand for its value-for-money services, registering 14 percent increase in passenger traffic to 1,368,728 million in the third quarter of this year. Air Arabia's average seat load factor – or passengers carried as a percentage of available seats – for the same quarter stood at an impressive 82 percent. “With market conditions rebounding, there remain great opportunities for low cost travel segment in the region. Air Arabia remains focused on capitalising on the existing potential and securing best return-on-investment for its shareholders,” he added. Air Arabia's net profit for the nine months of 2012 stood at AED342 million, an increase of 75 per cent compared to AED195 million for the same period in 2011. During the first nine months of this year, the company registered a turnover of AED2.187 billion, an increase of 21 percent compared to the same period last year. The airline served more than 3.9 million passengers during the first nine months of 2012, an increase of 12 percent compared the same period last year, the company said in a statement.— SG
