Kuwait Airways reveals Boeing 777-300ER’s world-class interior
Turning branding inside-out reflecting new identity
Kuwait Airways, the official national carrier of the State of Kuwait, yesterday opened the doors to its new Boeing 777-300ER, revealing a world-class interior and on-board features for passengers soon to be travelling in its threeclass configured, flagship aircraft. on Friday. ‘Failaka’ is the name assigned to the aircraft, so-called after the small island off the East coast of Kuwait. The aircraft’s maiden long-haul journey arrived as a non-commercial flight, direct from the US West Coast to Kuwait, arriving at Gate 26, at 3:20pm local time, and was greeted with an event to mark the occasion by: Chairperson and CEO of KAC, Rasha Al-Roumi; Kuwaiti Minister of State for Housing Affairs, Yasser Hassan Abul; US Ambassador to Kuwait, Lawrence R Silverman; and President of the DGCA, Sheikh Mubarak Salim Al-Sabah, as well as other senior officials.
One of the key features of the aircraft is its nine-abreast seating configuration, which means only three seats in the center aisle. With most airlines and aircraft of this size opting for four seats in the middle, this ‘passenger-first’ policy is already drawing praise from aviation observers, as it will offer the widest spacing in economy class.
Kuwait Airways’ world-class interior is clearly an extension of the new rebranding and livery and this has been expertly crafted into forming a unique interior design experience, with the airline’s new identity and logo subtly integrated into all elements of the cabin designs - in all three classes.
In terms of the design and ergonomics of the seating, Kuwait Airways chose to engage three different companies to cater to its threeclass set up; the airline opting to retain a FirstClass component with the B777-300ER, while many other airlines offering a “3-4-3” set up and only two-classes - Economy and Business.
Having involved some of the world’s top designers and aircraft design companies to fit out the aircraft’s interiors, Kuwait Airways partnerships included: Stelia, for First-Class seating and suites; B/E Aerospace, for Business Class seats; and Recaro, for Economy Class, from which there is also a Premium Economy option.
Among many features, in First Class there are a total of eight private suites, with full-flat beds, 26-inch wide seats, a dining facility and a 24-inch screen. In Business Class, there are a total of 36 seats, 22 inches wide with a 68degree recline, and an 18-inch screen. In Economy Class, there are also 54 Premium Economy seats out of a total of 290, with seats up to 20.4 inches wide, and an 11-inch screen.
In addition to offering further comfort and great features on board, Kuwait Airways has also installed the state-of-the-art Panasonic eX3 entertainment system. In terms of mood lighting, this is from Boeing; however, the lighting effects for the Kuwait Airways branding panels were developed so as to meet the unique specifications of the new livery and branding guidelines and were created by AIM.
In a world-first for commercial aviation, Kuwait Airways has also announced that it has included a “Do Not Disturb” electronic app, for every seat on the aircraft. The app will inform the flight crew of a passenger’s desire to sleep and also provide a timer as to how long the passenger has requested this feature.
“The rebranding and livery design was inspired by an adaptation of the bluebird emblem that has been synonymous with Kuwait Airways for many years. The bluebird’s head and beak, from the logo, is now prominently featured on the tail and aft part of the aircraft, with a bold new font displaying the word “Kuwait” along the side of the aircraft leaving no doubt as to the fact that it is the official national carrier of Kuwait,” a spokesperson from the branding agency commented.
“The process of creating a new livery and defining the essence of the airline’s brand was the first time it had been done for Kuwait Airways, so the weight of expectation was huge,” they continued. “We wanted to create a fresh new look for the airline, yet maintain a link to the proud heritage and legacy of Kuwait Airways as a regional pioneer in the aviation industry.”
According to the branding agency, the project to deliver a new livery and rebranding from development to the reveal took approximately 18 months. “The arrival of the Boeing 777-300ER and the new livery reveal was, of course, timed so as to be the chosen ‘vehicle’ by which Kuwait Airways’ new identity and transformation literally came to life,” they concluded.