(MENAFN) Dubai-listed low-cost carrier Air Arabia said that it is considering leasing aircrafts as part of its plan to expand its capacity into Europe and North Africa instead of ordering new planes, Emirates 24/7 reported.
These expansion plans come after the budget carrier announced that it has bought a 49 percent stake in Jordan's Petra Airlines, which will be rebranded as Air Arabia Jordan, adding that it has received 29 Airbus A320s by November 2014 from the 44 it ordered in 2007, with expectations that it will be taking the delivery of six A320s in 2015.
"If we want to expand, there are hundreds of leasing companies. Air Arabia Jordan operations should begin by the end of March. Starting with two aircraft initially and the business would grow gradually. Jordan was something we wanted to do since 2010 but we were just coming out of the crisis and then the Arab Spring slowed us down," Air Arabia Chief Executive said.
Air Arabia, which currently flies on around 100 routes, added that it will operate from Amman's Queen Alia International Airport, which will be its fourth base after Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Alexandria and Casablanca, adding that it will be using Jordan's open skies policy with Europe to fly to locations in the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
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