Kuwait Airways

Kuwait Airways

File:Kuwaitairways.png
IATA ICAO Call sign KU KAC KUWAITI
Founded	1954
Hubs	Kuwait International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Oasis Club
Fleet size	18
Destinations	42
Headquarters	Kuwait City, Kuwait
Key people	Shiekh Talal Mubarak Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (CEO)
Website	http://www.kuwait-airways.com

Kuwait Airways (Arabic: الخطوط الجوية الكويتية) is the national airline of Kuwait, based in Kuwait City and wholly owned by the Kuwaiti Government. It operates scheduled international services throughout the Middle East, to Europe, the Far East and North America. Its main base is Kuwait International Airport. Kuwait Airways is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.

History

Boeing 777

The airline was conceived in February 1953 by two Kuwaiti businessmen and was established in March 1954. It started operations on 16 March 1954 as Kuwait National Airways. The current name was established in 1958, and that year saw a modernization of the fleet. In the 1970s, the airline further expanded its routes to include flights within the Middle East.

The airline was heavily affected by the Gulf War with many planes having to leave due to the invasion. During the occupation, operations were transferred to Bahrain. The carrier, however, flew a free Kuwait Airways service on the Bombay-Bahrain-Cairo-London route in a modified livery with a Boeing 727. Bahrain served as operational headquarters during the occupation. The aftermath of the war saw a change in composition of fleet. In 2005, Kuwait Airways signed an agreement with Sabre Airline Solutions giving Kuwait Airways full access to a modernized planning and crew optimizing portfolio.

Kuwait Airways was the first airline created by an Arab state in the Persian Gulf and competes with neighboring airlines such as Qatar Airways and Emirates.

The airline has 3,735 employees (at March 2007).

This airline is notorious for its loss making strategies, and with a brand name that is nothing in light of world-class ME carriers like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and newly-redesigned Gulf Air, it might as well resign itself to its fate and sell out. Otherwise it requires a major refurbishment and image-change.

Hijackings in the 1980s

• During the Iran-Iraq War, Kuwait Airways was the target of two hijackings. The first was in 1984, when two Lebanese Shi'a gunmen diverted a flight to Tehran. The stand-off took six days but finally Iranian security officers dressed as staff overpowered the hijackers.
• In 1988 a Kuwait Airways Boeing was hijacked and diverted to Algiers while on its way to Kuwait from Bangkok. The hijacking lasted 16 days and ended with a Naval Officer from the Kuwaiti Royal Family being killed along with another Kuwaiti military person. The Algerian authorities allowed the hijackers to escape in exchange for the remainder of the 110 people aboard to be set free.

Destinations

see full article: Kuwait Airways destinations.

Code Share

• Beijing operated through Air China.
• Kiev operated through Ukraine International Airlines.

Airbus A340-300

Fleet

The Kuwait Airways fleet includes the following aircraft (as of May 2007):

• 5 Airbus A300-605R
• 4 Airbus A340-313
• 3 Airbus A310-308
• 3 Airbus A320-211
• 2 Boeing 777-269ER
• 1 Airbus A330-223 (on lease from Novair)
• 1 Boeing 747-469 Combi (reserved for VIP, occasionally used for scheduled passenger services)
• 7 Airbus 320-200 (Order cancelled 28/8/2007)
• 12 Boeing 787-800 (Order cancelled 28/8/2007)

As of 18 June 2007, ALAFCO has confirmed to buy 7 Airbus A320 and 12 Boeing 787-800. They will be leased to Kuwait Airways. In addition, the carrier also announced that it will purchase 2 Boeing 747-400 from Air India. These aircraft are 12 year old planes. Air India may also give Kuwait Airways 3 Airbus A310-300, which are 18 to 20 years old as it acquires a Boeing fleet.

External links

• Official website