The new site will link the low-cost carrier’s main base in Sharjah with the new hub to open in Rabat, Morocco, later this year.

The airline opened a second hub in Nepal in January this year, launching a joint venture, FlyYeti.com, with the local carrier, Yeti Airlines. By the end of this year, it will launch a similar project from Rabat with Regional Airlines, from where it will open services to Western Europe.

From the fourth site, which has yet to be chosen, Air Arabia plans to launch routes into Eastern Europe and East Africa.

The airline has a fleet of six Airbus A320s, with a further 40 on order for delivery up to 2014.

“Sharjah to Morocco is too far for the A320 so we need a new hub to link these spots,” says an Air Arabia official. "We have not decided where it will be yet. Each country has its own benefits and drawbacks."

From its Nepalese hub in Kathmandu, FlyYeti.com will expand into the Asian market this year.

“We would like to launch routes to Bangkok and Hong Kong, as well as open new routes in India,” says the company official. "We hope to open two of these routes this year."