Air Arabia reports Q3 net profit of AED 383 million on revenue of AED 2.31 billion, with 5.7 million passengers and a fleet of 100 aircraft.
Air Arabia (PJSC), the Dubai Financial Market-listed budget carrier, said on Thursday its third-quarter net profit fell 42 per cent year on year to AED 383 million, while revenue rose 10 per cent to AED 2.31 billion.
The airline said the quarter to September 30, 2026 was supported by revenue growth and sustained passenger demand, and that higher fuel prices raised its operating costs.
It carried more than 5.7 million passengers across its operating hubs in the quarter, 3 per cent fewer than in the same period last year.
The average seat load factor, the share of available seats occupied, stood at 82 per cent.
For the first nine months of 2026, net profit was AED 757 million, down 47 per cent on the same period of 2025.
Revenue for the nine months grew 2 per cent to AED 5.81 billion, compared with AED 5.71 billion a year earlier.
Passenger numbers for the period were 14.4 million, down 10 per cent year on year, with the average load factor at 83 per cent.
Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Thani said the company was “pleased to have recorded our third consecutive profitable quarter this year”. He attributed the lower profitability to higher costs and fuel price volatility.
He also pointed to the carrier’s focus on operational efficiency, cost control and network optimisation, and to its multi-hub model.
Air Arabia Group launched 14 new routes in the first nine months across its hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. That took its network to 224 routes.
Over the same period it added 10 aircraft, bringing the fleet to 100 owned and leased Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. Four more are due to join before the end of 2026.
On Sunday, September 20, the group began operations from a new hub at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, with domestic flights to Jeddah, Madinah and Riyadh.
The Dammam launch followed an Air Operator Certificate granted by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to a new national budget carrier set up by an Air Arabia-led consortium of Nesma Group and KUN Investment.
The airline lists seven hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the last operating as Fly Jinnah.
For travellers, the airline said it would continue to invest in its fleet and expand its network where it sees sustained demand.
Air Arabia was also named “Most Sustainable Low-Cost Airline in the MENA Region 2026” by World Finance Magazine. The full results for the quarter and nine months are on the Dubai Financial Market.
