Sharjah-based low-cost carrier Air Arabia’s net profit increased 15 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2013 to AED76m ($20.7m).

Turnover for the second quarter of this year rose by 17 per cent to AED797m, compared with AED681m for the second quarter of last year.

“We will continue to focus on our business expansion strategy, which will enable us to launch new services and enter new geographies in the coming six months, while continuously offering our customers the best value-for-money deals,” said Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Thani, chairman of Air Arabia.

In the first half of 2013, Air Arabia added five new routes from Sharjah: Sialkot in Pakistan; Baghdad in Iraq; Abha and Ha’il in Saudi Arabia; and Yerevan in Armenia. That period also saw the airline increasing frequency of flights to Beirut in Lebanon, Salalah in Oman and Dhaka in Bangladesh.

The airline signed a $350m financing deal to fund the acquisition of 10 new Airbus aircraft in May.