KUWAIT CITY, 13 September 2005 — Kuwait’s first private low-fare airline - Jazeera Airways — will take to the skies on Nov. 16 after receiving two Airbus A320 planes it ordered last year, the company’s president said yesterday. “We are proud to announce that the official launch of the airline will be late October per schedule and we are currently taking bookings for flights on Nov. 16 and beyond,” Jazeera Airways Chairman and CEO Marwan Boodai said.
Jazeera’s launch flight will be to Dubai. The airline’s operation includes daily flights to Dubai, Beirut, Damascus, and Manama, and three flights a week to Amman. It also plans to operate to Egypt, India and South East Asia in the near future, Boodai told reporters.
Jazeera initially planned to start operation in February using two leased planes, but the airline later decided to delay its launch until it receives its own aircraft. The company will receive two planes next month and another two A320s next June, Boodai said.
Tickets are being offered for as little as 40 percent of the normal rate in the emirate. Travelers in Kuwait can fly to Manama one-way for $34, Jazeera said.
Jazeera was established in May 2004 as a shareholding company with a capital of $34 million, 30 percent of which is owned by a group of core founders while the rest was offered to the public on May 26.
