Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced today that passenger traffic between Sharjah and other GCC destinations reached 551, 041 in the first half of 2010, an increase of 16.8 percent, compared to 471, 828 in the same period last year.

Air Arabia recorded an average seat load factor of 81.8 per cent during this period with a total of 83 flights per week from its hub in Sharjah to nine destinations in the GCC.

Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said: “These encouraging results are a demonstration of Air Arabia’s superior service and value-for-money offerings, further reinforcing the carrier’s ability to continuously deliver sustained growth. Based on strong business fundamentals, Air Arabia has embarked upon a phase of organic growth and we remain committed to providing affordable low-cost alternative to travel in the wider region.”

Air Arabia began operations from its third hub in Alexandria, Egypt in June and announced a fourth hub in Jordan in collaboration with Tantash Group, an Amman-based investment company.