Air Arabia will expand its Polish network in December 2026 with a new nonstop service between Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) and Katowice International Airport (KTW), giving travelers in southern Poland another direct connection to the United Arab Emirates.
Flights will begin on December 17, 2026, and operate four times weekly on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Katowice Airport’s official announcement confirms that Air Arabia will use the Airbus A320neo throughout the schedule.
The route is already available for booking through Air Arabia’s website, call center, and travel agencies.
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Air Arabia Will Use Two Different Daily Schedules
Air Arabia has split the four weekly flights into morning and evening rotations.
On Mondays and Fridays:
G9689: Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) 8:00 a.m. – Katowice International Airport (KTW) 11:20 a.m.
G9690: Katowice International Airport (KTW) 12:10 p.m. – Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) 8:55 p.m.
On Thursdays and Saturdays:
G9769: Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) 5:55 p.m. – Katowice International Airport (KTW) 9:15 p.m.
G9770: Katowice International Airport (KTW) 10:05 p.m. – Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) 6:50 a.m. the following day.
Poland is three hours behind the UAE during the winter, giving the westbound Sharjah–Katowice flight a scheduled block time of approximately six hours and 20 minutes. The eastbound return is considerably faster at five hours and 45 minutes.
The approximately 2,600-mile route is long for a standard narrowbody aircraft but comfortably within the capabilities of the Airbus A320neo.
A320neo Will Carry 174 Passengers
Air Arabia’s A320neo is configured with 174 seats in a single Economy cabin.
The carrier took delivery of its first directly ordered A320neo in September 2025 and has been gradually introducing the type across longer routes from Sharjah Airport (SHJ). Air Arabia’s current fleet information lists five A320neos alongside its much larger fleet of previous-generation A320s and A321-family aircraft.
With four weekly departures and 174 seats per aircraft, the new Katowice route will provide up to 696 seats in each direction every week, or 1,392 one-way seats across the complete operation.
The A320neo is powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines in Air Arabia service. Airbus publishes a maximum range of approximately 3,400 nautical miles and a maximum certified capacity of 194 passengers for the type. Airbus’ A320neo specifications show that the aircraft can deliver approximately 20% lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions per seat than previous-generation aircraft.
Air Arabia’s 174-seat configuration therefore remains 20 seats below the A320neo’s certified maximum, giving the carrier more cabin space than the densest layouts used by some low-cost operators.
Katowice Becomes Air Arabia’s Third Polish City
Air Arabia describes Katowice Airport (KTW) as its third destination in Poland from Sharjah Airport (SHJ), following Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK) and Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW).
There is a small technical distinction worth noting.
Air Arabia also launched service between Sharjah and Warsaw Modlin Airport (WMI) in December 2025. Its Warsaw Modlin launch announcement said the carrier was serving both Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) and Warsaw Modlin Airport (WMI), in addition to Kraków Airport (KRK).
Katowice is therefore more accurately described as Air Arabia’s third Polish city, while the number of individual Polish airports served has at times been higher because of the two-airport Warsaw operation.
The broader point remains unchanged: Poland has developed into an increasingly important market for Air Arabia.
Southern Poland Gains Another UAE Link
Katowice Airport (KTW) serves the heavily populated Upper Silesian region and provides access to cities including Katowice, Gliwice, Bytom, Częstochowa, and surrounding parts of southern Poland.
That gives Air Arabia a substantial catchment area that is geographically distinct from Kraków Airport (KRK) and Warsaw Airport (WAW).
The carrier will not have the UAE market entirely to itself. Katowice Airport’s published winter route schedule shows Wizz Air scheduled to resume nonstop flights between Katowice Airport (KTW) and Zayed International Airport (AUH) in Abu Dhabi from late October 2026.
The two airlines will nevertheless be offering different products and, more importantly, different connecting opportunities.
Wizz Air’s service primarily targets point-to-point passengers between Poland and Abu Dhabi. Air Arabia operates Sharjah Airport (SHJ) as a major connecting base, allowing passengers from Katowice to continue across a much wider network.
Sharjah Connections Could Be the Route’s Biggest Advantage
Air Arabia and Katowice Airport are emphasizing connections beyond the UAE as one of the strongest arguments for the route.
Katowice Airport specifically highlighted destinations in Thailand, India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka that can be reached through Sharjah Airport (SHJ).
Air Arabia’s wider route network extends across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe.
That means the Katowice flight is not dependent entirely on passengers whose final destination is Sharjah or nearby Dubai.
A traveler from southern Poland could potentially fly Katowice Airport (KTW)–Sharjah Airport (SHJ) and continue onward to destinations such as Bangkok, Phuket, Malé, Colombo, Delhi, Mumbai, Kathmandu, or other cities in Air Arabia’s network.
The connecting model is particularly important because Sharjah is located only about 15 miles from Dubai and also provides road access to Ajman and the other northern emirates. Air Arabia describes Sharjah Airport (SHJ) as its original hub and notes its proximity to both Sharjah and Dubai.
Air Arabia Continues Expanding Deeper Into Europe
Katowice is part of a much larger European expansion for Air Arabia.
From Sharjah Airport (SHJ), the carrier now serves or has announced destinations including London Gatwick Airport (LGW), Munich Airport (MUC), Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Vienna International Airport (VIE), Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG), Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY), Athens International Airport (ATH), Kraków Airport (KRK), and Warsaw.
The expansion demonstrates how the newer A320neo and longer-range A321neo-family aircraft are allowing Air Arabia to push farther into Europe while retaining the economics of a narrowbody fleet.
Katowice is particularly suited to that strategy. The market is large enough to support direct service but does not necessarily require a widebody aircraft or daily frequency from launch.
Four weekly A320neo flights give Air Arabia enough capacity to establish the market while limiting risk if demand varies during the winter.
The Low-Cost Product Extends Across a Six-Hour Flight
Despite the relatively long flight time, Air Arabia will maintain its standard low-cost model.
The 174-seat A320neo has no Business Class or Premium Economy cabin. Optional services such as checked baggage, meals, and preferred seats depend on the fare or add-ons purchased.
Passengers can use SkyTime, Air Arabia’s complimentary wireless inflight entertainment platform, which streams content to personal phones, tablets, and laptops. Food and drinks are available through the airline’s SkyCafe service.
The narrowbody experience will be noticeably different from flying a larger twin-aisle aircraft between Europe and the Gulf, but it also allows Air Arabia to offer a lower-cost nonstop option from an airport that previously had no direct Sharjah service.
Bottom Line
Air Arabia will launch four weekly nonstop flights between Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) and Katowice International Airport (KTW) on December 17, 2026.
Flights will operate on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays using a 174-seat Airbus A320neo. The Sharjah-to-Katowice sector is scheduled for approximately six hours and 20 minutes, while the return takes around five hours and 45 minutes.
The new service will provide up to 696 seats in each direction every week and make Katowice Air Arabia’s third Polish city after Kraków and Warsaw.
For Air Arabia, Katowice expands its growing Central European footprint without requiring a daily schedule from launch. For passengers in southern Poland, the route provides not only another nonstop connection to the UAE but also access to Air Arabia’s substantial connecting network across Asia, the Middle East, and beyond through Sharjah Airport (SHJ).
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