Air Arabia Sharjah as a first Gulf job: the low cost model in the UAE, the pay, the accommodation and the move to the big carriers later
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#1 Emirates from Lahore, but I did 18 months at Air Arabia in Sharjah first, and the smaller UAE carriers thread on here is short. Here is Air Arabia from someone who used it exactly as a first Gulf job and then moved.
What Air Arabia is
The UAE's low cost carrier, based at Sharjah (20 minutes from Dubai), A320 family, a network to the whole Middle East, South Asia, North Africa and parts of Europe. Plus bases in Morocco, Egypt and elsewhere under the Air Arabia name. High density cabins, buy on board, fast turnarounds, a young crew from South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Philippines.
Recruitment
Open days in the source countries (Pakistan, India, Egypt, Morocco, the Philippines) and online. Requirements are a step below the big carriers: 21 minimum, a slightly lower reach, the same tattoo and grooming standards, English at a working level. The assessment is shorter and the competition is less brutal than the Emirates events.
Pay and accommodation
Lower basic than the big carriers, flying pay per hour, and accommodation provided in Sharjah in shared crew housing. The net is a fraction of an Emirates salary and a multiple of a Pakistani one. For a first Gulf job it is a real income and the savings are real if you are careful. The Sharjah accommodation is modest and the rules are similar to the big carriers.
The flying
Four to six sectors a day on the short routes (Muscat, Bahrain, Kuwait, Doha), two to three on the longer ones (Karachi, Cairo, Istanbul, Nairobi). Full cabins, a buy on board that is tracked, a fast operation. Night stops are rare; you are home in Sharjah most nights. The Ryanair of the Gulf, with a South Asian and Arab passenger mix.
The move to the big carriers
This is why most of us joined. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad respect Air Arabia experience: real Gulf flying, the same regulator, the same passengers. After a year or more, the events in Dubai and Doha are open to you and you already live in the UAE, which makes the whole process easier. I did the Emirates open day in Dubai on a day off from Sharjah. The transition into the Emirates training was easier than for the fresh hires because the Gulf was already home.
Who it suits
Someone from South Asia, North Africa or the Middle East who did not get through the big carrier events, or who wants to get to the Gulf now and upgrade later. Someone who wants a Gulf job with a modest cost of entry. It is not a career for most; it is a door.
Who should not
Someone who expects the Emirates lifestyle at Air Arabia pay. The accommodation, the salary and the Sharjah location are all a step down. Go in knowing it is a step, and the step up comes.
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#2 Pakistani at a Gulf carrier, and two of my batch came from Air Arabia. Faisal is right: the transition was easier for them. The Gulf was already home, the regulator was the same, the passengers were familiar. A door, exactly.
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#3 Karachi, applying, and Air Arabia was not on my list because I assumed it was a lesser version. Now I understand it is a route. Adding it.
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#4 IndiGo Bangalore, and Air Arabia is the other path my base talks about: Gulf first at a low cost, then the big carrier from inside the UAE. Same logic as IndiGo first, different geography.