Jazeera Airways in the market for more narrow-body jets to capture European traffic
Kuwait's Jazeera Airways is considering the acquisition of additional narrow-body aircraft to caplitalise on "opportunistic growth' and fill a void in direct flights between Kuwait and Europe after 14 European carriers pulled out of Kuwait International Airport in the past few months, its chief executive said.
The low-cost carrier is also looking towards closer co-operation with the national flag carrier Kuwait Airways to enter into a "complementary' partnership – similar to that of Emirates and flydubai – that will help them have an expanded point-to-point network.
To spearhead growth, the airline is in talks with lessors for longer-range single-aisle planes such as the Airbus A321 LR and the A321 XLR as it plans for its fleet requirements, Barathan Pasupathi, chief executive, told The National.
The all-Airbus operator is also studying Embraer's E2 jets for point-to-point routes with lower density traffic.
"We are in the market for more narrow-body aircraft,' Mr Pasupathi said.
"Sustained growth will come from the aircraft order book. Opportunistic growth will come from aircraft that we will take opportunistically into our fleet and hub when the right time comes.'
Jazeera is already in talks with number of lessors who have approached the airline but Mr Pasupathi ruled out interest in widebody jets "for the time being', to keep a check on costs.
While the availability of aircraft in the market is limited, lessors are offering their customers aircraft that have been declined by airlines which are experiencing a tapering off in travel demand.
"We are now seeing appetite in the market for lessors knocking on doors of airlines who can absorb their capacity,' he said.
Summer of 2026: A 'different ballgame'
Jazeera Airways sees "opportunistic growth' potential for direct flights between Kuwait and Europe after 14 European carriers pulled out of Kuwait International Airport over the last few months.
The airlines halted flights amid shortcomings in airport infrastructure and weak demand.
Most recently, IAG-owned British Airways ended its London-Kuwait route in March after six decades of service as it did not expect to have enough aircraft to operate the flights.
Jazeera Airways has a " game plan' to build point-to-point connections, particularly in Europe to fill the gap, and is launching services to several European destinations this summer, Mr Pasupathi said.
On June 5, it started twice-weekly flights between Kuwait and Hungarian capital Budapest, marking the first non-stop service between the two countries.
Asked when the airline will need to acquire additional narrow-body aircraft to meet demand, Mr Pasupathi said: "Summer of 2026 is going to be a different ballgame, if you look at the lack of European carriers in Kuwait.'
"We're being approached by a lot of airports to go into Europe. There has to be a tangible return. We are studying a lot of business cases, plans, airports.'
There is a "deep interest' from airports approaching Jazeera Airways thanks to Kuwait's "yield-accretive' market, well-travelled Kuwaiti population and high-spending international travellers, he said, declining to name the airports.
Travel demand is also growing amid easing visa and work permit issuances in Kuwait, while intra-Gulf traffic is rising and Gulf-Europe traffic will grow when Kuwaiti citizens get visa-free access to the Schengen region, he said.
Growth elsewhere
Jazeera Airways is making significant inroads into Central Asia, from where it is flying pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and the year-round Umrah. Going in the other direction, there is also outbound tourism demand from Kuwait to visit these countries, he said.
Travel demand growth in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Central Asia is "giving us tremendous confidence that there will be opportunistic windows to pursue and we're watching this space very carefully,' he added.
"We are pleased that markets that are opening up will require aircraft capacity in point-to-point [traffic]. We also see opportunities in fifth and sixth freedom growth in some markets,' Mr Pasupathi said.
Fifth freedom rights allow an airline to fly between foreign countries as a part of services to and from its home country. The so-called sixth-freedom right allows an airline to carry passengers or cargo from a second country to a third country, provided it touches down in its home country.
Aircraft deliveries
The airline is awaiting the arrival of 26 new aircraft – 18 A320 Neos and eight A321 Neos – that it had ordered at the Dubai Airshow in 2021.
It will start taking delivery of the first A320 Neos on schedule by the end of 2026, while the A321 Neos will be handed over from 2027 onwards, both through to the end of 2030.
In December, Jazeera Airways announced plans to buy six Airbus A320 classic variant planes that it currently leases and operates, in an effort to mitigate the supply chain challenges plaguing the industry.
"This will give us good, sustained growth between 2024 to 2030,' Mr Pasupathi said. "However, we are very positive that we may need to grow beyond this.'
'Complementary' partnership with Kuwait Airways
There is also a "tremendous' opportunity for Jazeera Airways and flag carrier Kuwait Airways to enter into a "complementary' partnership similar to that of Emirates and flydubai, he said.
"From an aviation hub strategy, that excited us … we would have like to have it yesterday.'
Further backing its growth ambitions, Jazeera Airways will expand Terminal 5, its terminal in Kuwait International Airport.
Plans are in place to increase its capacity to 7.5 million passengers, up from five million now, to cater for anticipated growth over the next two-to-three years.
"We are getting the approvals shortly,' he said.
Looking ahead, the airline is "buoyed' by strong market growth, lower fuel prices and new top management executives that will shape the airline's network and commercial planning, he said.
In May, the airline said it hired Paul Carroll as chief commercial officer. The former chief commercial officer of the AirAsia Group brings more than 20 years of aviation experience.
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