HAMBURG, Germany:Kuwait Airways (KAC) received the first of a batch of A320neo aircrafts fromthe European multinational aircraft manufacturer Airbus at a ceremony held inHamburg city, north Germany on Friday. The ceremony gathered KAC Board ChairmanYoussef Al-Jassem, head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)Youssef Al-Fawzan, Director General of Airbus Middle East Fuad Al-Attar andKuwait Ambassador to Germany Najib Al-Bader. The jetliner, called 'Kathemah',joins the fleet of Kuwait's flag carrier after finalizing the necessaryarrangements.
Important moment
Jassem describedthe reception of the first Airbus 320neo plane as "an important moment inthe company's history." Speaking at the ceremony, Jassem said he wasreally happy to have received the aircraft which was equipped with state-of-arttechnology and fuel-saving efficiency. He said the delivery of the A320neofollowed the "recovery of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from a health setback."
Jassem said theA320neo marks the start of delivery of a total of 28 Airbus up until 2026,which would join the already operational 10 Boeing 777-333 ER aircraft."We are witnessing leaps in numbers of passengers, and we expect thenumber to be around five million passengers by end of this year," headded. Jassem said the development of Kuwait Airways fleet was in line with thecompany's strategy to provide the best services for the passengers.
Meanwhile, Fawzansaid DGCA would facilitate operation of Kathemah as soon as possible, addingthat a team from DGCA's safety and legal departments was in Hamburg to verifydelivery documents of the aircraft. Ambassador Bader said in the meantime thatthe Foreign Ministry was keen on supporting national companies.
He said he washappy with the upgrade of Kuwait Airways fleet, and the new plane wouldcertainly contribute to better aviation services between Kuwait and Germany.Director General of Airbus Middle East Fuad Al-Attar, in a keynote speech, saidthe delivery of the airplanes would further strengthen cooperation andrelations between the two sides. The delivery of A320neo, he added, marked the65th anniversary of Kuwait Airways.
15 aircrafts
Seating 134passengers, this jetliner is the first of 15 A320neo aircrafts that will joinKAC's fleet in addition to 13 aircraft of other Airbus versions. As part of aplan to modernize its fleet, KAC signed a contract with Airbus on December 2,2013 to acquire 15 A320neo and 10 A350 XWB aircraft, in addition to leasing 12planes of A320neo and A330 types pending the delivery of the new planes. OnOctober 15, 2018, KAC signed a new contract with Airbus to acquire eightjetliners of A330-800 type, which has a capacity of 220 to 260 passengers.KAC's modernization plan will culminate in the expansion of its new fleet to 38jetliners in 2026. - KUNA