Air Arabia posts Dh26M Q4 net profit
sharjah — Air Arabia has announced a net profit of Dh26 million for the fourth quarter 2018, in line with the strong net profit recorded in the same period last year.
Turnover for the three months ending December 31, 2018 was Dh1 billion, an increase of 20 per cent compared to Dh858 million in the same period in 2017. Air Arabia flew over 2.1 million passengers in the final quarter of 2018, an increase of five per cent compared to the same period last year at an average seat load factor of 81 per cent. Turnover for the full year 2018 was Dh4.12 billion, 10 per cent higher than the turnover recorded in 2017. More than 8.7 million passengers flew with Air Arabia in 2018, an increase of two per cent compared to 2017 while the average seat load factor for the year stood at 81 per cent.
Following the board of directors’ proposed impairment in relation to the group’s financial exposure in private equity firm Abraaj, the carrier will report an accumulated loss of Dh307 million, subject to ratification by Air Arabia shareholders at the company’s upcoming Annual General Meeting. Air Arabia Group announced in June 2018 that as part of its diverse investment portfolio, it has investments outstanding with Abraaj that is currently going through a court-supervised restructuring.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammad Al Thani, chairman of Air Arabia, said: “Air Arabia’s fourth quarter and full year results remain fundamentally strong and driven by the carrier’s network expansion strategy, cost control measures and the appealing customer demand to our services. While regional geo-political challenges continued to impact the performance of the aviation sector in the region, we are glad that Air Arabia continues to report solid and sustained growth margins across our network which reflects the strength of our business model.”
He added: “Air Arabia remains amongst the world’s most profitable airlines and the 2018 financial and operational performance is a — Supplied photo
testament to its continued success. The board’s proposed impairment in relation to Abraaj exposure aims to serve the best interests of the company and its investors through a pragmatic approach to handle the future investment value of this exposure. This impairment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to protect its investment and business interests. We expect the solid operating metrics and high seat load factor that Air Arabia achieved in 2018 to continue as the long-term fundamentals of the aviation sector in the region and the underlying demand for affordable air travel remain strong.”