Air Arabia Abu Dhabi has this week announced plans to launch services to Baghdad & Erbil from Abu Dhabi.
The Planned Schedules…
Effective from June 22, the Abu Dhabi-Baghdad service will operate on a twice-weekly basis using its Airbus A320 aircraft on Mondays & Thursdays.
| Flight | Departure | Time | Arrival | Time | Aircraft | Frequency |
| 3L 076 | Abu Dhabi | 10:35 | Baghdad | 12:00 | Airbus A320 | Monday, Thursday |
| 3L 077 | Baghdad | 12:40 | Abu Dhabi | 16:00 | Airbus A320 | Monday, Thursday |
The Abu Dhabi-Erbil services will commence on September 15, 2023, on a twice-weekly basis, also using an Airbus A320 as well.
| Flight | Departure | Time | Arrival | Time | Aircraft | Frequency |
| 3L 088 | Abu Dhabi | 23:25 | Erbil | 01:20 | Airbus A320 | Tuesday, Friday |
| 3L 089 | Erbil | 02:00 | Abu Dhabi | 05:40 | Airbus A320 | Wednesday, Saturday |
Executive Comments…
Adel Al Ali, the GCEO of the group that manages the subsidiary, commented on these two new route launches into Erbil & Baghdad:
“We are pleased to launch Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s first flights to Baghdad and Erbil in Iraq to further expand our growing route network from UAE’s capital.”
“This new route underpins our commitment towards both leisure and business travelers while providing them with more travel experiences and value-added offerings across its network.”
“At Air Arabia, we are committed to continue the expansion of our connectivity in Abu Dhabi to positively contribute to the UAE’s travel and tourism sector”.
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi Experiences Triple-Digit Growth…
As per data from RadarBox.com, the carrier has been experiencing triple-digit growth in movement statistics.
For instance, during February 19-26, the carrier operated 34 flights based on a seven-day rolling average provided by the flight tracking company.
This represents an increase of 112.50% compared to the same period last year when the figure was at 16 flights.
Below is the last four weeks’ worth of data from the carrier, as provided by the flight tracking company:
| Date | 2021 Numbers | 2022 Numbers | 2023 Numbers | Percentage Difference (2023 vs. 2022) |
| January 22-29 | 6 movements | 16 movements | 34 movements | +112.50% |
| January 29-February 5 | 6 movements | 16 movements | 34 movements | +112.50% |
| February 5-12 | 7 movements | 15 movements | 35 movements | +133.33% |
| February 12-19 | 7 movements | 16 movements | 34 movements | +112.50% |
What this highlights is that the airline has been consistent in its growth in flight movements, and the new services to Erbil & Baghdad will add to that.
Overall…
It remains clear that the airline is in the slow & steady phase of its overall route growth, with the subsidiary planning to offer a lot in the future.
All eyes will also be on the carrier to see how it will perform against the likes of Wizz Air’s subsidiary, especially as new routes continue to open.
But for now, all eyes are on the carrier to see where they plan to expand to ahead of what is expected to be a busy Summer 2023 period.
