The Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) and Air Arabia will launch Armenia’s new national, low-cost passenger airline.
The two companies will establish an independent joint venture company that will operate as a low-cost passenger airline with Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport (EVN) as its base, Air Arabia announced on July 14, 2021.
Armenians are invited to participate in an open competition to decide the name of the new airline by sending their suggestions. However, the final word will belong to the company’s board of directors who will go through received suggestions and select the final name.
Meanwhile, work on securing the Air Operating Certificate (AOC) is to commence “shortly”.
The establishment of a national airline is in line with the country’s vision of developing its travel and tourism sector. Hopes are, the new air carrier will contribute to the country’s economic growth and provide passengers a “value for money” air travel option.
“Our vision for Armenia is to significantly improve air connectivity and as a result bring economic growth and jobs to the country,” said Tatevik Revazian, Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia. “Having a strong national low-cost airline is essential for the development of Armenia’s air transport sector, especially as a tool to recover faster from the COVID-19 crisis. This partnership between ANIF and Air Arabia Group to launch a new airline reflects this vision. We are confident that the expertise Air Arabia brings to the JV will support the seamless launch and growth of the carrier. We look forward to the success of Armenia’s new national airline.”
“We are excited to launch a new national low-cost carrier for Armenia that will contribute significant value to the economy and energise our travel and tourism sector,” David Papazian, Chief Executive Officer of ANIF, said in a statement.
“We see tremendous potential for Armenia in building its airline sector, which will add sustained value to the economy through job creation and the development of the travel and tourism sector,” said Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer.
Papazian praised the partnership with Air Arabia, calling it a “differentiating strength of the new airline” due to its previous track record of launching and operating low-cost carriers (LCCs).