Kuwait Airways: On the way to being a private company.

Kuwait Airways is the national carrier of Kuwait. The headquarters of the airline are situated at Kuwait International Airport. It operates scheduled international flights to several destinations. The major areas that the airline covers are Middle East, India and the countries in the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Southeast Asia and North America. Kuwait Government wholly owns the airlines and it is an important member of the Arab Air Carrier’s Organization.

Kuwait Airways Company was formed in 1954 after the international importance of the oil-rich country grew with the oil boom. In the beginning, the airline had limited number of flights to an even limited number of destinations including Abadan, Beirut, Damascus and Jerusalem. The young carrier was facing economic problems and the Government of Kuwait decided to help it out by getting 50% stake in the company. The government doubled the company’s capital and went on to get 100% control over it later on.

The government owned airline got its first jet aircraft in 1962 with the leasing of Comet 4-C and became the first airline in the world to own a jet aircraft in the late 1960s. The airline quickly expanded its horizons and added several new routes and destinations to its portfolio. The fleet of the company got expanded with three Boeing 707s in 1968. Within a decade, the airline had an all-Boeing 707 fleet of eight aircrafts.

Cities like London, New York and Manila were added to the route map of the airline in quick succession. The fleet also kept on expanding to keep pace with the fast moving aviation needs and many Boeing 727s, Airbus A310s, Airbus 300s and Boeing 777 among other aircrafts were added to it over the years.

The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq led to the complete destruction of the premises and 42 aircrafts. After the war was over, the airline was reorganized and re-launched. The present fleet of the airline comprises of 17 aircrafts. It has set itself a new objective of trying and reaching out to 47 countries worldwide. The company is committed to providing the best quality service and comfort to its clients. Safety of the passengers continues to be the highest priority of the airline. The company has a dedicated and well-trained staff of 5,915 employees as of March 2009.

The National Assembly of Kuwait approved a plan to turn the airline company into a private shareholding company. The privatization of the airline is now underway. A committee has been made by Kuwait Investment Authority for smooth privatization of the airline.

Emirates Airlines booking has been significantly lower than normal because of the success of Kuwait Airways.

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