LONDON – Middle Eastern airline Jazeera Airways has this week celebrated taking delivery of its tenth and eleventh Airbus A320neo.
Jazeera has been in operation since 2004 and was the first non-government-owned Middle Eastern airline.
Since its inception, it has been slowly growing, and with this delivery, it takes the airline all Airbus fleet up to 19 aircraft (the fleet stood at just seven aircraft in 2018).
A 3.4 billion US dollar order was placed for 28 Airbus aircraft in November 2021, and upon delivery of the first neo in November of 2021, made Jazeera the first operator of the variant in the middle east.
The newer, more efficient A320neos are being brought in to replace its older brother, the ‘current engine option’. There are 18 live orders, with 11 currently operational and serving some of Jazeera’s 50 destinations.
The pair of short/medium haul single-aisle aircraft were unveiled at a delivery ceremony at Kuwait International Airport on Monday, October 10th. In attendance at the event were the Kuwait Directorate General for Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Interior, and the French Embassy in Kuwait.
It was hosted by Chairman Marwan Boodai and Chief Executive Officer Rohit Ramachandran.
Chairman Boodai said this whilst addressing guests onboard one of the two new aircraft:
“We are very happy to be taking delivery of the first A320 neo aircraft [from the 2021 order] as part of Jazeera’s larger order book that will effectively double the fleet size to 35 aircraft by the year 2026 in support of our expansion plans, as well as boost our contribution to Kuwait’s travel sector.”
“With the challenges of the past two years behind us, Jazeera has returned with a strong performance, offering customers further choices with new destinations being opened throughout the year.”
“We thank the Directorate General for Civil Aviation, regulatory authorities, and partners for supporting Jazeera Airways for over 17 years in providing customers with a reliable travel service.”
As their fleet and destination list expand, the acquisition of more fuel-efficient and quieter-engined aircraft will contribute significantly to Jazeera’s goals to become a more environmentally friendly airline.
CEO Rohit Ramachandran said: “Jazeera is focusing on expanding its fleet with these latest aircraft from our partner Airbus, offering more environmentally friendly neo models, which provide a range of benefits including 18% fuel-saving, quieter engines with 50% less CO2 emissions.”
“Our growing fleet will support our expansion plans for Q4 2022 and into 2023 with new destinations and increasing frequencies on existing popular routes.”
“The A320neo has already proven itself to be a great airplane for us, and we are pleased to work with Airbus and our leasing partners to make these additions to our fleet.”
The Kuwaiti-based carrier prides itself on flying a reliable fleet of aircraft, owning and operating its own private terminal (T5) at Kuwait International airport, and ensuring all of its aircraft have signature leather seats, regardless of cabin class.
It can be expected that the eight Airbus A321neos that the airline has on order will follow in the same footsteps.
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