Summary
- Air Arabia will launch nonstop flights from Sharjah to Athens and Kraków using an Airbus A320.
- Air Arabia previously operated the Sharjah-Athens route from 2009-2010; no carrier has flown the route since.
- Air Arabia’s recent flights to Athens and Kraków align with its plans to expand its network with the addition of A321XLR aircraft.
Emirati low-cost carrier Air Arabia (G9) will launch nonstop services from Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) within the United Arab Emirates to Athens International Airport, Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (ATH) in Greece, and Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK) in Poland on June 28 and June 29, respectively. Flights to Kraków shall be each day, while Athens shall be operated on a four-weekly basis, and each routes shall be flown with an Airbus A320.
From its Sharjah base, Air Arabia operates flights extensively throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, and except for the Russian Federation and Türkiye, currently serves only two countries in Continental Europe: Milan Bergamo Airport, Italy (BGY) and Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (SJJ). The carrier is desirous to expand its European network because it prepares to receive its first A321XLR aircraft, enabling it to succeed in recent destinations in the long run.
Photo: Real_life_photo | Shuttershock
Returning to Athens after a 14-year absence
Air Arabia previously operated this route between April 16, 2009, and October 30, 2010, in accordance with data from Cirium. Since Air Arabia ceased operating the route, no carrier has stepped in to fly between the 2 cities. Per the Great Circle Mapper, the space between Sharjah and Athens is roughly 2,041 miles.
The outbound flight from Sharjah to Athens will depart as flight G9684, leaving Sharjah at 9:00 AM local time and arriving in Athens at 13:05 local time, operating Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, with a flying time of roughly 4 hours and 32 minutes. The return flight G9685 will leave Athens at 13:55 and arrive at Sharjah at 19:50, each local times, operating on the identical days because the outbound flight.
Athens is served by many Middle Eastern carriers operating within the UAE and surrounding Gulf nations reminiscent of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, in addition to several within the Levant. Nevertheless, AirArabia shall be the second low-cost carrier operating from the region from Athens, alongside Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which flies from Athens twice weekly.
First foray into Poland: a fit for the low-cost carrier model
Air Arabia’s recent Sharjah-Kraków service shall be barely longer in distance than Sharjah-Athens at 2,556 miles, though the flight time shall be roughly similar. The outbound flight from Sharjah to Kraków will depart as flight G9370, also leaving Sharjah at 9:00 AM local time, arriving in Kraków at 13:05 local time, operating each day, with a flying time of roughly 5 hours and 34 minutes. The return flight G9371 will leave Kraków at 13:55 and arrive at Sharjah at 21:35, each local times, and likewise on an Airbus A320.
Kraków sees a much smaller number of Middle Eastern carriers in comparison with Athens, and interestingly, the overwhelming majority of them are low-cost operators, with the exceptions of El Al and LOT Polish Airlines, each of which fly sub-daily services to Tel Aviv (TLV). Each Ryanair (FR) and Wizz Air (W6) also operate services to Tel Aviv on a less-than-daily basis, while each Wizz Air and flydubai (FZ) offer services to Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Dubai (DXB), respectively, from Kraków airport.