LOW-cost carrier Air Arabia is to introduce direct service to two new destinations in Ukraine, expanding its presence to three major Ukraine cities and bringing its global network to 67 destinations.
Beginning October 7 and 12, the airline will offer regular flights to Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, and Donestsk, a major urban centre in eastern Ukraine with a population of 1.5 million.
The launch of these routes, from its Sharjah hub, will complement Air Arabia’s existing flights to Kiev, which the carrier serves five times a week.
“We are especially pleased to introduce two new destinations in Ukraine, a nation with strong economic and cultural ties with the UAE and wider Gulf region,” said Adel Ali, group CEO.
The airline has also announced the introduction of a new three times weekly service to Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, beginning November 1, 2011. This is Air Arabia’s sixth destination in the kingdom, after flights to Gassim were launched in July this year.
In addition to the new routes to its expanding network, Air Arabia has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Al Ansari Exchange, the UAE’s largest network exchange house which provides worldwide remittance and foreign exchange services.
The agreement will allow Air Arabia customers to pay for their tickets through any of the 100-plus Al Ansari Exchange branches across the UAE. Passengers can book flights and receive a reservation number from Air Arabia’s 24/7 call centre. Presenting the reservation number at any Al Ansari Exchange will enable them to pay for their ticket, confirm the flight and collect their itinerary.