KUWAIT: Jazeera Airways Serves No Alcoholic Beverages On Its Flights

Jazeera Airways K.S.C is a Kuwaiti airline with its head office on the grounds of Kuwait International Airport in Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait. It operates scheduled services in the Middle East. Its main base is Kuwait International Airport.

The airline has grown since its launch to become Kuwait's second national airline and has been dynamic in popularising low-cost carriers in the Middle East.

Jazeera Airways is one of the largest operators at Kuwait airport, having handled a quarter of all aircraft movements and passengers at the airport during July 2009.

According to the July 2009 report issued by Kuwait Directorate General for Civil Aviation's, Jazeera Airways had the largest number of aircraft movement in the month with 1834 take-offs and landings, over passing the second largest carrier in aircraft movement by 4% .

In 2004 the Kuwait Government permitted the establishment of the non-governmental airline firm, essentially ending Kuwait’s 50-year-old dependency on Kuwait Airways. The 2004 Emiree Decree #89 established Jazeera Airways as the first airline to enter this newly liberalized industry.

Jazeera Airways raised its capital of KD 10 million (USD 35 million) through an initial public offering in Kuwait that was oversubscribed 12 times.

The capital was doubled to KD 20 million (USD 70 million) in 4Q 2007 by a second offering to existing shareholders. In May 2009, a share distribution of 10% effectively increased the capital to KD 22 million (USD 77 million).

About 26% of the airline is owned by two companies affiliated with the Boodai Group: Wings Finance (9%) and Boodai Projects (17%).

6-7% is also held by Jasem M. al-Mousa Trading, a company owned by a former Minister of Public Works in the first Kuwaiti government established after the end of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. About 17.5% is held by two real estate companies, and the rest is publicly held.

Jazeera Airways started operations on 30 October 2005 with a fleet of brand new Airbus A320 aircraft, all leather seats, flying to several destinations in the Middle East.

In Q2 2009, UAE authorities requested the airline to terminate its hub operations at Dubai. This step was seen as a support to Dubai's upcoming launch of its own low-cost airline, FlyDubai.

Jazeera changed its operation model by concentrating on its Kuwait hub and trying to launch a second hub somewhere else. By Q2 2010, the new model proved unprofitable as the Kuwait hub suffered from overcapacity.

The airline changed its plans by cancelling many stations and parking some aircraft which were later returned to lessor.

In 2018, Jazeera Airways opened their own dedicated terminal at Kuwait International Airport. The facility is claimed to be the first owned, built and operated by a private airline in the Middle East.

It features a dedicated check-in hall for Jazeera passengers, Business Class lounge, direct access to Jazeera boarding gates, and a car park with 350 spaces connected by a sky bridge.

Jazeera Airways flies to destinations across the Middle East from its base in Kuwait. Since 2018, the company has expanded its available routes as below:

Azerbaijan

Baku - Heydar Aliyev International Airport

Bahrain

Manama - Bahrain International Airport

Egypt

Alexandria - Borg El Arab Airport

Assiut - Assiut Airport

Cairo - Cairo International Airport

Luxor - Luxor International Airport

Alexandria - Borg El Arab Airport

Hurghada - Hurghada International Airport

Luxor - Luxor International Airport

Marsa Alam - Marsa Alam International Airport

Sharm El Sheikh - Sharm El Sheikh International Airport Seasonal

Sohag - Sohag International Airport

Georgia

Tbilisi - Tbilisi International Airport

India

Ahmedabad - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport

Delhi - Indira Gandhi International Airport

Hyderabad - Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

Kochi - Cochin International Airport

Mumbai - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

Iran

Isfahan - Isfahan International Airport

Mashhad - Mashhad International Airport

Shiraz - Shiraz International Airport

Tehran - Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport

Iraq

Najaf - Al Najaf International Airport

Jordan

Amman - Queen Alia International Airport

Kuwait

Kuwait City - Kuwait International Airport

Lebanon

Beirut - Rafik Hariri International Airport

Maldives

Malé - Velana International Airport

Oman

Muscat - Muscat International Airport

Salalah - Salalah International Airport

Pakistan

Lahore - Allama Iqbal International Airport

Qatar

Doha - Hamad International Airport

Saudi Arabia

Jeddah - King Abdulaziz International Airport

Medina - Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport

Riyadh - King Khalid International Airport

Ta'if - Ta'if Regional Airport

Sudan

Khartoum - Khartoum International Airport

Syria

Aleppo - Aleppo International Airport

Damascus - Damascus International Airport

Deir ez-Zor - Deir ez-Zor Airport

Turkey

Bodrum - Milas–Bodrum Airport

Antalya - Antalya Airport

Istanbul - Istanbul Atatürk International Airport

Istanbul - Arnavutköy International Airport

Istanbul - Sabiha Gokçen International Airport

United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi - Abu Dhabi International Airport

Dubai - Dubai International Airport

United Kingdom

London - London Gatwick International Airport (Begins 27 October 2019)

Yemen

Sana'a -Sana'a International Airport

The Jazeera Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:

9 - Airbus A320-200

1 - Airbus A320neo

The last of the A320s was delivered from Airbus on 9 January 2010.

The airline's fleet is powered by CFM56-5B engines. The airline has contracted Lufthansa Technik to maintain and service them. All Jazeera Airways aircraft are fitted with 165 leather seats, and split into two cabins: Jazeera and Jazeera Business.

When Jazeera business is offered, six seats are cancelled to provide 12 Plus seats in addition to 147 Economy seats.

Jazeera Airways ordered 30 Airbus A320s on 18 June 2007. This was announced at the Paris Air Show bringing its total orders up to 35 Airbus A320s.

During 2010, due to the airline's change of operation plans, several aircraft were parked, and eventually five were returned to lessor Sahaab which leased them to Virgin America and SriLankan Airlines.

In April 2011, Jazeera Airways canceled 25 of the 40 A320s it ordered in 2007. Jazeera will take delivery of four A320s still on order from 2012-2014.

In 2018, Jazeera Airways took deliveries of the first Airbus A320neo aircraft in the Middle East, and is putting the service on their Dubai route.

The airline offers business and economy class seating. The economy class seating has leather seats and shareable TV screens. Business class seats have leather seats and personal TV screens and two seats per row.

Jazeera Airways is one of the few airlines which doesn't serve alcoholic beverages on its flights.

On 2 August 2018, Jazeera flight (J9 608) from Kuwait caught fire in its right engine on landing at Hyderabad. All 145 passengers were evacuated safely and the fire was extinguished.

Tourism Observer

Most Gulf Carriers Re-routed Flights Over Sinai After Russian Crash

Most Gulf airlines said on Sunday they were re-routing flights to avoid Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where a Russian aircraft carrying 224 passengers crashed on Saturday.

Carriers from United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait said they would re-route flights as a security precaution until there was more clarity. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said it would continue to fly over Sinai but avoid certain areas on the advice of Egyptian authorities.

Air traffic in the region has been on alert since a militant group linked to Islamic State in Egypt said it had brought down the plane “in response to Russian air strikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land”.

A Russian aviation official said the aircraft had broken up in mid-air but it was too early to draw any conclusions. The Russian plane crashed into a mountainous area of central Sinai.

German carrier Lufthansa and Air France-KLM said they had decided to avoid flying over the peninsula while they waited for clarity on what caused the crash.

Qatar Airways, budget carrier Jazeera Airways from Kuwait and Bahrain’s Gulf Air said late on Sunday that they would avoid flying over the peninsula, according to separate statements.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Qatar Airways will re-route flights to avoid the Sinai Peninsula airspace until more information is known regarding the tragic loss,” the Doha-based airline said.

Earlier in the day, Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia, all from the United Arab Emirates, confirmed taking the same security precautions.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said it continues to fly over the Sinai region but is avoiding airspace over some of its areas in accordance with instructions by the Egyptian authorities. This would impact “a handful” of its flights, it said in a statement.

Re-routing usually means longer flying distances, which add to fuel costs.

British budget carrier easyJet said it was taking advice from all relevant authorities and was continuing to “actively review” the situation. It said that it, like other British airlines, did not overfly central and northern Sinai on the advice of Britain’s Department of Transport.

“Based on the information received to date, easyJet plans to continue to operate flights to Egypt to carry holidaymakers as planned to and from Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada but will continue to actively review the situation,” it said in a statement.

British Airways said in a statement that it did not discuss flight routes, “however we would never fly a route unless it was safe to do so”.

KUWAIT: Jazeera Airways, Largest Airline Serving Middle East Out Of Kuwait.

Jazeera Airways K.S.C is a Kuwaiti airline with its head office on the grounds of Kuwait International Airport in Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait.It operates scheduled services in the Middle East. Its main base is Kuwait International Airport. The airline has grown since its launch to become Kuwait's second national airline and has been dynamic in popularizing low-cost carriers in the Middle East. Jazeera Airways is one of the largest operators at Kuwait airport, having handled a quarter of all aircraft movements and passengers at the airport during July 2009. According to the July 2009 report issued by Kuwait Directorate General for Civil Aviation's, Jazeera Airways had the largest number of aircraft movement in the month with 1834 take-offs and landings, overpassing the second largest carrier in aircraft movement by 4%.

In 2004 the Kuwait Government permitted the establishment of the non-governmental airline firm, essentially ending Kuwait’s 50-year old dependency on Kuwait Airways. The 2004 Emiree Decree #89 established Jazeera Airways as the first airline to enter this newly liberalized industry.

Jazeera Airways raised its capital of KD 10 million (USD 35 million) through an initial public offering in Kuwait that was oversubscribed 12 times.The capital was doubled to KD 20 million (USD 70 million) in 4Q 2007 by a second offering to existing shareholders. In May 2009, a share distribution of 10% effectively increased the capital to KD 22 million (USD 77 million).

About 26% of the airline is owned by two companies affiliated with the Boodai Group: Wings Finance (9%) and Boodai Projects (17%). 6-7% is also held by Jasem M. al-Mousa Trading, a company owned by a former Minister of Public Works in the first Kuwaiti government established after the end of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. About 17.5% is held by two real estate companies, and the rest is publicly held.

Jazeera Airways started operations on 30 October 2005 with a fleet of brand new Airbus A320 aircraft, all leather seats, flying to several destinations in the Middle East.

In Q2 2009, UAE authorities requested the airline to terminate its hub operations at Dubai. This step was seen as a support to Dubai's upcoming launch of its own low-cost airline, FlyDubai.

Jazeera changed its operation model by concentrating on its Kuwait hub and trying to launch a second hub somewhere else. By Q2 2010, the new model proved unprofitable as the Kuwait hub suffered from overcapacity. The airline changed its plans by cancelling many stations and parking some aircraft which were later returned to lessor.

Jazeera Airways flies to destinations across the Middle East from its base in Kuwait.

The airline's fleet is powered by CFM56-5B engines. The airline has contracted Lufthansa Technik to maintain and service them. All Jazeera Airways aircraft are fitted with 165 leather seats, equipped with In-flight Entertainment, and split into two cabins: Jazeera and Jazeera Plus. When Jazeera Plus is offered, six seats are cancelled to provide 12 Plus seats in addition to 147 Economy seats.

Jazeera Airways ordered 30 Airbus A320s on 18 June 2007. This was announced at the Paris Air Show bringing its total orders up to 35 Airbus A320s.

During 2010, due to the airline's change of operation plans, several aircraft were parked, and eventually five were returned to lessor Sahaab which leased them to Virgin America and SriLankan Airlines.

In April 2011, Jazeera Airways canceled 25 of the 40 A320s it ordered in 2007. Jazeera will take delivery of four A320s still on order from 2012-2014.

The airline offers business and economy class seating.


Jazeera Airways is the largest airline serving the Middle East out of Kuwait. We currently serve 19 destinations across the Middle East and operate a modern fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft all fitted with our signature leather seats and a two-class cabin. Jazeera Airways’ Economy Class amenities include 40 kilograms in free baggage allowance for every passenger, a complimentary selection of on board meals that change every month, so our frequent travelers can always count on a new meal experience when flying with us. Our Business Class travelers get both an upgraded experience and exclusivity, starting with exclusive check-in lines and business lounge access, up to 60 kilograms in free baggage allowance, an exclusive on-board cabin, and in addition to special meals.

In 2011 Jazeera Airways carried 1.2 million passengers in total across our network, which includes high-demand business, leisure, family, and weekend destinations such as Dubai, Bahrain, Beirut, Alexandria, Amman, Damascus, Istanbul, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Luxor, Mashhad, Sohag, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, and Cairo.

Established in April 2004, Jazeera Airways was first non-government owned airline in the Middle East and continues to be one of the few Middle-East based non-government owned airlines to this day. Today, Jazeera Airways is a publicly-traded company and is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Jazeera Airways is an IATA-member.

The Board of Directors
• Marwan Boodai, Chairman
• Jassim Boodai, Vice Chairman
• Mohamed Khan
• Ahmed Abdullah
• Hany Mohamed Shawqy Younes

The Executive Team
• Marwan Boodai, Chairman
• Donald Hubbard, Chief Financial Officer
• Abdullah Al Hudaid, Chief Operating Officer and Accountable Manager
• Razali Idris, VP for Engineering and Maintenance
• Captain Falah Al Shammary, VP for Operations
• Captain Nasser Al Ajmi, VP for Training
• Naser Al Obaid, VP for Ground Operations
• Bader Al Mershed, VP for Industry Affairs
• Martin Aeberli, VP Revenue Management and Network Planning
• Dr. Mohamed Barakat, VP Marketing & Product
• Rafik Boghdady, VP Sales

PHILIPPINES: Cebu Pacific Air Starts Flights From Manila To Kuwait

Cebu Pacific Air has become the latest airline to start services to Kuwait. On 2 September the first flight left Manila with the first return flight departing Kuwait International Airport on 3 September. The airline’s 7,600-kilometre service is the airport’s third longest after United Airlines’ service to Washington Dulles (10,580 kilometres) and Kuwait Airways’ 10,220-kilometre service to New York JFK.

The State of Kuwait only has one civil airport, Kuwait International Airport. The airport has grown steadily if unspectacularly in recent years, with the national carrier Kuwait Airways not trying to emulate some of the region’s other carriers in trying to become a global hub carrier. Even so, passenger numbers have more than doubled between 2003 and 2012, and last year traffic growth was 5.6% suggesting that the airport could break the 10-million passenger mark in 2014 for the first time.

Last week saw the arrival of the airport’s latest new airline, Cebu Pacific Air. The Philippine carrier launched thrice-weekly flights from Manila on 2 September, with the first service from Kuwait taking place the following day. At over 7,600 kilometres this is the airport’s third longest non-stop service, beaten only by United Airlines’ service from Washington Dulles (10,580 kilometres) and Kuwait Airways’ service to New York JFK (10,220 kilometres)

Kuwait Airways serves 30 destinations non-stop
Based on analysis of Innovata / Diio Mi data for September, Kuwait Airways serves around 30 destinations non-stop from its home airport. The only destination served currently that was not served last September is Lahore, to where services were launched in April. Destinations served in Europe include Frankfurt, London Heathrow and Rome Fiumicino. Asian destinations include Bangkok, Colombo, Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur, as well as the Indian airports of Chennai, Delhi, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

Jazeera Airways is a Kuwait-based low-fare airline which started operations in October 2005 and currently serves 14 destinations non-stop from Kuwait using a fleet of A320s. During the last year the airline swopped its Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen service for flights to Istanbul Atatürk instead. It also began serving Dubai Al Maktoum, as well as maintaining multiple daily flights at Dubai’s main airport.

A total of 41 airlines currently operate scheduled services to Kuwait including all of the MEB3 carriers (Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways). Apart from Cebu Pacific, other new carriers at the airport during the last 12 months have been Pegasus Airlines (which began flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen on 26 March 2014), Nile Air (which started flights from Luxor in May) and Atlasjet (which introduced flights from Istanbul Atatürk in July). Compared with last September seat capacity across all airlines is up just over 8%.
Dubai dominates destination ranking

In terms of leading cities, Dubai leads the way with 23 daily flights split across four airlines; flydubai (11 daily flights), Emirates (six), Jazeera Airways (four) and Kuwait Airways (two). Doha, Cairo and Bahrain are the next busiest routes, but with just 63, 58 and 56 weekly departures respectively. Dubai Al Maktoum and Manila are the two busiest new markets served this year that were not served in September 2013.