Title: Niche strategy gone astray: Air Arabia bets on service quality

Authors: Syed Aziz Anwar; M. Sadiq Sohail; Ahmed Ankit; Meera Al Marri

Addresses: Academic Affairs Division, McFam University, 12, Forsyth Grove, Brooklyn Wellington 6021, New Zealand ' Department of Management and Marketing, Center for Finance and Digital Economy, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia ' Research and Doctoral Studies, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, United Arab Emirates ' Collaborative Research, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, United Arab Emirates

Abstract: The main objective of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of niche marketing strategy of Air Arabia in view of emerging competition. A sequential mixed-methods design is used. During the qualitative research phase, a focus group discussion was undertaken to gain insight into the experiences and perspectives from selected participants. This was followed by a quantitative research phase to collect data from 250 travellers in Air Arabia. The sample focuses on the experiences of customers of Air Arabia in terms of service quality. This study identified gaps in service quality that the airline must address to achieve its avowed goals and highlighted some of the emergent issues faced by Air Arabia following the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is the first academic paper to study the transition from niche marketing to a comprehensive service quality strategy in the context of a budget airline such as Air Arabia.

Keywords: service quality; niche segmentation; competition; low-cost airline; strategy; UAE.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSA.2024.140663

International Journal of Sustainable Aviation, 2024 Vol.10 No.3, pp.253 - 270

Received: 22 Jan 2024
Accepted: 11 Jun 2024
Published online: 29 Aug 2024 *

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