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Delivery of all new aircraft remains exactly on schedule; all 10 to be in service by Q3 2017
Kuwait - Kuwait Airways, the official national carrier of the State of Kuwait, has once again welcomed a further addition into its fleet today, with the arrival at Kuwait International Airport of the sixth of 10 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on order. The sixth delivery in only four months.
The new aircraft is to be called “Meskan” – named after the small Kuwaiti island just off the East coast of the mainland.
The addition of “Meskan” brings Kuwait Airways’ operational fleet up to 25, with the five 777-300ER aircraft already in service having made had an immediate impact on the official national carrier of Kuwait’s improving product, seat capacity and frequency increases to its passengers.
The sixth Boeing arrives during a Summer Season that Kuwait Airways recently announced has seen its weekly frequencies increased by 16 per cent, across its network – a total of 324 flights per week. The 777-300ER’s introduction has also seen seat capacity boosted by up to 58 per cent, on certain routes.
With the sixth 777-300ER now set to enter commercial service within days, this allows Kuwait Airways to not only support existing routes on its regular 36-destination network, but has also meant that certain routes are now exclusively served by the new aircraft. These routes include: London; New York; Frankfurt; and soon to be Dhaka; Bangkok and Manila.
“The addition of the Boeing 777-300ER into our fleet is not only making a significant difference to the overall product and service Kuwait Airways can now offer our passengers, but the fact that we are receiving more than one new aircraft per month, since the first delivery in December 2016, proves that we are well on schedule for this order of 10 to be completed by Q3 2017,” said Rasha Al Roumi, Chairperson & CEO, Kuwait Airways.
“We are pleased to note that Kuwait Airways’ aircraft acquisition programme is backed fully by all stakeholders and the Kuwaiti government and we are confident that the official national carrier of Kuwait will be a significant driver of success – not just for the airline – but for the overall ambitions of the government for the diversification of the economy and the country’s long-term commercial status, infrastructure development and wider business and tourism goals.”
A further 25 Airbus aircraft are also on order by Kuwait Airways, over the next four to five years, including those from the A320neo and A350 families of aircraft.
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About Kuwait Airways
Kuwait Airways (KU: IATA, KAC: ICAO) is the National Airline of the State of Kuwait.
Established in 1953 as a private company, the airline was initially 50 per cent owned by the Kuwaiti government; In 1962, the government assumed 100 per cent ownership, making it the longest serving, official single-state carrier operating from the Arabian Gulf region.
In 2016, Kuwait Airways announced a five-year transformation strategy with a mandate of reasserting the official national carrier of Kuwait’s proud legacy and status within the regional aviation market, while also reclaiming the position as the “preferred airline linking Kuwait to the world”.
A member of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation and employing over 4,800 people, Kuwait Airways’ head office is situated in the heart of Kuwait City, close to Kuwait International Airport. The airline currently provides regular scheduled services to 36 international destinations in the Far East, Middle East, Europe and North America.
In 2017, the airline is expected to cross the milestone of serving over three million passengers, per year (TTM).
Kuwait Airways’ fleet of 25 aircraft currently consists of: 6 x B777-300ER; 7 x A320-200CEO (completed delivery Q2 2015); 5 x A330s (completed delivery Q4 2015); 4 x A340-300s; 2 x Boeing 777-200; and 1 x Boeing 747-400.
In December 2016, Kuwait Airways received the first of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, with expected completion of delivery of the final aircraft in Q3 2017. Further additions to the fleet will include 15 A320neo’s and 10 A350s (delivery to start in 2019). Once the delivery of these 35 new aircraft are concluded, Kuwait Airways will boast the youngest commercial airline fleet in the world.
© Press Release 2017
