Air Arabia will begin nonstop flights between Sharjah and Milan in December, becoming the LCC’s first route to the city.

The service will connect Sharjah International (SHJ) with Milan Bergamo (BGY) with four weekly round trips starting on Dec. 7. Flights will be operated using Airbus A321 aircraft.

Air Arabia subsidiary Air Arabia Egypt currently serves Bergamo from Alexandria (HBE) and Cairo (CAI) in Egypt, while Air Arabia Maroc offers flights from Casablanca (CMN) in Morocco. However, the route from Sharjah will be the first to Milan for Air Arabia.

“The launch of Air Arabia’s direct flights to Milan reaffirms our commitment to continuously offer our customers new destinations to discover while providing them with affordable and value driven air travel,” CEO Adel Al Ali said.

According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, Air Arabia will become the sole carrier to offer nonstop service to Italy from Sharjah. However, Milan is well served from other points in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

At the present time, Emirates offers a double-daily service between Dubai (DXB) and Milan Malpensa (MXP), while Etihad Airways flies Abu Dhabi (AUH)-Milan Malpensa daily. In total, there are about 18,500 two-way weekly seats between the UAE and Milan, with Emirates commanding a 78% share of the market.

Air Arabia’s flights to Milan will depart Sharjah at 6.45 a.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays, arriving in the Italian city at 10.45 a.m. The return flight departs at 11.45 a.m. and arrives back in SHJ at 9 p.m.

The LCC will also operate a service that leaves Sharjah at 9.55 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, arriving in Milan at 1.55 a.m. the next day. The return Tuesday and Friday flights depart BGY at 2.55 a.m. and return to SHJ at 12.10 p.m. the same day.