Kuwait Airways’ third Boeing 777-300ER arrives
Official national carrier maintains delivery schedule; to be in service Q3 2017
KUWAIT: Following the arrival of its first two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, in December 2016 and January 2017, Kuwait Airways, the official national carrier of the State of Kuwait, has welcomed the arrival of the third of 10 aircraft on order, landing at Kuwait International Airport (KWI) at 16:30 hours local time, on Tuesday.
Sporting Kuwait Airways’ new livery and branding, the third wide-bodied, “Extended Range” aircraft has been named “Kathma” - following the theme of naming the new aircraft after place names in the country. Kathma is a town situated just North West of the capital, Kuwait City.
The new Boeing 777-300ER will enter service within the week and will be immediately deployed on some of Kuwait Airways’ most popular, long-haul routes, including: New York, London, Paris and Rome; with other routes namely to the airline’s Far East destinations - to have use of the new aircraft sometime during the upcoming Summer Schedule. The arrival of the third aircraft matches the schedule outlined between Kuwait Airways and Boeing to have all 10 aircraft delivered and in commercial service before the end of Q3 2017.
Kuwait Airways’“Transformation Strategy”, as revealed in September of last year, is the driving force behind the many changes and fleet additions being seen at the airline, over the last few months; additional fleet acquisitions with Airbus - 10 A350 and 15 A320neo aircraft - will also be part of a 35-strong fleet of brand new aircraft. The Airbus aircraft are set to start delivery in 2019. With these new additions, Kuwait Airways’ claim is that it will have the youngest commercial airline fleet, in the world, by 2021.
“The ongoing progress we have been witnessing at Kuwait Airways, in recent months, is something of great pride that we want to share with the Kuwaiti people and the nation as a whole. These new fleet acquisitions are part of the bedrock of our new philosophy and commitment to see the official national carrier of Kuwait continue to grow market share, passenger numbers and regain its place as a competitive regional player in the aviation sector,” said Rasha Al-Roumi, Chairperson and CEO of Kuwait Airways.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the stakeholders - and true patriots of Kuwait - who continue to offer their unwavering support for Kuwait Airways’ ambitions; a mission that will reassert a sense of pride in the official national carrier, as well as the country’s international standing in both the aviation and travel communities,” Roumi added.