Kuwait Airways facts for kids
Kuwait Airways Boeing 777-300ER
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| Founded | 1953 (as Kuwait National Airways) |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 16 March 1954 |
| Hubs | Kuwait International Airport |
| Frequent-flyer program | Oasis Club |
| Fleet size | 32 |
| Destinations | 52 |
| Parent company | Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) |
| Headquarters | Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait |
| Key people | Abdulmohsen Salem Alfagaan (Chairman) |
Kuwait Airways is the main airline of Kuwait. Its main office is located at Kuwait International Airport. The airline flies to many places around the world. These include the Middle East, India, Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America. All flights start from its main hub at Kuwait International Airport.
Contents
History of Kuwait Airways
Kuwait Airways started in 1953. It was first called Kuwait National Airways. A group of Kuwaiti business people created it. The government owned half of the company. They bought two Dakota planes. Flights began on March 16, 1954. In its first year, the airline carried almost 9,000 passengers. In July 1955, the name changed to Kuwait Airways.
In 1962, Kuwait Airways ordered two Trident planes. They also ordered a Comet 4C. The airline received its first Comet in January 1963. In August 1963, they ordered a second Comet. This plane set a record flying from London to Kuwait very fast. On June 1, 1963, the government took full ownership of the airline. In March 1964, Kuwait Airways started flying to London. This was their first European destination.
By April 1965, the airline flew to many cities. These included Abadan, Baghdad, Bahrain, Beirut, Bombay, Cairo, and London. Their fleet had Comet 4Cs, DC-6Bs, and Viscount 700s. They were waiting for new Trident and One-Eleven planes. The first Trident arrived in March 1966. In November 1967, they ordered three Boeing 707-320C planes. In 1968, Kuwait Airways made its first profit.
In 1972, the airline continued to make a profit. By May 1973, they had five Boeing 707-320C planes. They also started flights to Colombo. In 1975, they bought two more Boeing 707-320Cs. They also ordered their first Boeing 737 plane. In 1979, Kuwait Airways ordered three Boeing 727 planes.
By July 1980, Kuwait Airways had many employees. Their fleet included Boeing 707-320Cs, a Boeing 737-200, and Boeing 747-200Bs. They ordered six Airbus A310-200 planes. These planes would replace the Boeing 707s. Deliveries started in 1983.
In 1992, Kuwait Airways helped start Jet Airways in India. They owned 20% of the company. Later, a law in India stopped foreign airlines from owning parts of Indian airlines. So, Kuwait Airways sold its share in Jet Airways.
In July 1996, the airline ordered two Boeing 777-200 planes. The first Boeing 777-200 arrived in early 1998. In December 1998, they made a deal with Trans World Airlines. This allowed them to share flights.
In October 2007, the CEO said the airline should become a private company. This would help it compete better. It would also help them get new planes.
Flights to Iraq started again in November 2013. Kuwait Airways had stopped flying there in 1990. This was after the invasion of Kuwait. In July 2015, the airline restarted flights to Munich and Istanbul-Atatürk. In October 2015, Bangalore was added to their routes.
Airline's Policy on Passengers
Kuwait Airways faced issues regarding its policy on passengers. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation investigated the airline. This was because they refused to sell tickets to people with Israeli passports on flights between the U.S. and other countries. The airline stated it followed Kuwaiti law. This law prevents agreements with people or groups from Israel.
As a result, Kuwait Airways stopped offering flights between New York and London. A similar case happened in Germany in 2017. A German court allowed the airline to refuse passengers with Israeli passports for flights with a stopover in Kuwait.
How Kuwait Airways Works
Who Owns Kuwait Airways?
Kuwait Airways is fully owned by the government of Kuwait. This has been the case since August 2023.
Plans to Become a Private Company
Plans to make Kuwait Airways a private company started in the 1990s. This was after the Gulf War caused the airline to lose a lot of money. In 2004, the company became a corporation. In 2008, the government approved plans to sell parts of the airline. They planned to sell 35% to a big investor and 40% to the public. The government would keep 25%.
In 2011, experts valued the airline at $805 million. However, the plan was delayed. In 2013, a law was passed to allow the privatization of Kuwait Airways.
Important People
As of November 2023, Abdulmohsen Salem Alfagaan is the chairman of Kuwait Airways.
Main Office
The main office of Kuwait Airways is at Kuwait International Airport. It is in Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait. The building is very large, covering 42,000 square meters. It was built between 1992 and 1996.
Other Companies and Partnerships
Kuwait Airways has other companies that are also becoming private.
- Kuwait Aviation Services Co. (KASCO)
- Automated Systems Co. (ASC), which helps with flight booking systems.
- ALAFCO
Kuwait Airways also worked with other airlines. This helped them during the 1990 war.
- Shorouk Air (no longer flying)
- Jet Airways (India, currently paused)
- Trans World Airlines (started in 1999)
Airline Colors and Design
On October 23, 2016, Kuwait Airways changed the design on its planes. They updated their bird logo.
Where Kuwait Airways Flies
Kuwait Airways is based at Kuwait International Airport. As of August 2023, the airline flies to 63 destinations on 65 routes.
Kuwait Airways has agreements to share flights with these airlines:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Europa
- Etihad Airways
- Ethiopian Airlines
- ITA Airways
- Middle East Airlines
- Oman Air
- Saudia
- SriLankan Airlines
- Thai Airways International
- Turkish Airlines
Connecting Flights with Other Airlines
Kuwait Airways also has agreements for connecting flights with these airlines:
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air Europa
- Air India
- American Airlines
- APG Airlines
- Asiana Airlines
- Bangkok Airways
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- China Airlines
- EgyptAir
- Etihad Airways
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Gulf Air
- Emirates
- ITA Airways
- Kenya Airways
- Korean Air
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Middle East Airlines
- Nepal Airlines
- Oman Air
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Saudia
- Singapore Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- Thai Airways International
- Tunisair
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
Kuwait Airways Fleet
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Planes Kuwait Airways Uses Now
As of April 2025, the Kuwait Airways fleet includes these aircraft:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | C | W | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320ceo | 4 | — | Unknown | |||||
| Airbus A320neo | 9 | — | — | 12 | — | 122 | 134 | |
| Airbus A321neo | 1 | 5 | — | 16 | — | 150 | 166 | Deliveries from March 2025 |
| Airbus A321LR | — | 3 | TBA | 169 | ||||
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | — | Unknown | |||||
| Airbus A330-800 | 4 | — | — | 32 | — | 203 | 235 | Launch customer. |
| Airbus A330-900 | 2 | 5 | — | 32 | 21 | 225 | 291 | Deliveries from December 2024. |
| Airbus A340-500/600 | 1 | — | Unknown | |||||
| Airbus A350-900 | — | 2 | TBA | 326 | ||||
| Boeing 777-300ER | 10 | — | 8 | 36 | 54 | 236 | 334 | |
| Total | 32 | 15 | ||||||
Government Planes
Kuwait Airways also operates planes for the government of Kuwait. These planes have a special design. They include different models like Airbus A300, A310, A319, A320, A340, and a Boeing 747-8BBJ.
Old Planes Kuwait Airways Used to Have
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300B4 | 1 | 1983 | 1983 | Leased from Hapag-Lloyd Flug. |
| 1 | 1991 | 1992 | Leased from EgyptAir. | |
| Airbus A300-600R | 8 | 1984 | 2015 | |
| Airbus A310-200 | 8 | 1983 | 1990 | |
| Airbus A310-300 | 8 | 1991 | 2015 | |
| Airbus A340-300 | 4 | 1995 | 2017 | |
| Boeing 707-320 | 5 | 1975 | 1978 | Leased from British European Airways. |
| Boeing 707-320C | 3 | 1977 | 1977 | Leased from British European Airways and British Midland Airlines. |
| 10 | 1968 | 1985 | ||
| 6 | 1991 | 1992 | Leased from Trans Mediterranean Airways. | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 4 | 1980 | 1994 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 1 | 1976 | 1980 | |
| Boeing 747-200M | 4 | 1978 | 2008 | |
| Boeing 747-400M | 1 | 1994 | 2019 | |
| Boeing 767-200ER | 2 | 1986 | 1991 | Destroyed by bombing in February 1991. |
| 1 | 1994 | 1995 | ||
| Boeing 777-200ER | 2 | 1998 | 2017 | |
| De Havilland Comet | 3 | 1963 | 1969 | One leased from BOAC. |
| Douglas C-47B Skytrain | 2 | 1952 | 1970 | |
| Douglas DC-6B | 1 | 1964 | 1968 | |
| Douglas DC-8-32 | 1 | 1974 | 1976 | |
| Douglas DC-8-62F | 3 | 1997 | 1999 | Cargo aircraft. |
| Hawker Siddeley Trident | 4 | 1965 | 1972 | |
| Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar | 1 | 1992 | 1994 | Leased from British Airways. |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | 1 | 1992 | 1993 | Leased from British Airways. |
| Vickers Viscount | 10 | 1958 | 1967 |
New Planes for the Fleet
In October 2013, Kuwait Airways had one of the oldest fleets in the Middle East. In December 2013, the airline agreed to buy 15 A320neos and 10 A350-900s. These planes were to arrive between 2019 and 2022. They also leased seven A320s and five A330-200s for a short time.
In February 2014, the order for the 10 A350-900s and 15 A320neos was confirmed. In November 2014, Kuwait Airways announced plans to buy 10 Boeing 777-300ERs. This order was confirmed in December 2014. Deliveries for these planes started in November 2016. By March 2015, Kuwait Airways had received four leased Airbus A320s. This was their first fleet upgrade in 17 years.
In October 2016, Kuwait Airways received its first Boeing 777-300ER. This was the first new plane they fully owned in almost 20 years. The Airbus A340-300 planes were retired in 2017. In October 2018, Kuwait Airways changed its order with Airbus. They reduced the A350-900 order to five planes. They also ordered eight Airbus A330-800s. The first two Airbus A330-800s arrived in October 2020.
In August 2019, the Chairman of Kuwait Airways said the airline plans to spend $2.5 billion on new planes. These planes are expected to arrive by 2026.
Awards for Kuwait Airways
In 2023, SkyTrax named Kuwait Airways the World's Most Improved Airline.
Services Offered
Kuwait Airways offers special services for Royal Class and First Class passengers. They can check in at home. A limousine and an airline staff member will come to their home. They will check in the passengers, collect luggage, and give boarding passes. A car service to the airport is also available. This service is only for flights leaving Kuwait International Airport. Kuwait Airways is one of the few airlines that does not serve alcoholic drinks on its flights.
Plane Incidents and Accidents
Kuwait Airways Flight 032 (1966)
On June 30, 1966, Kuwait Airways Flight KU32 was flying from Beirut to Kuwait City. The plane was a Hawker Siddeley Trident 1C. During its landing approach, the plane was too low and too fast. The pilots did not follow all the landing rules. The plane hit the ground about 4 kilometers before the runway. There were 72 passengers and 11 crew members on board. Luckily, no one was hurt in this incident.
Kuwait Airways Flight 422 (1988)
On April 5, 1988, Kuwait Airways Flight 422 was a Boeing 747-200. It was flying from Bangkok to Kuwait City. There were 97 passengers and 15 crew members. About three hours into the flight, some people took over the plane. They wanted 17 prisoners in Kuwait to be set free.
The plane was forced to fly to Mashhad, Iran. There, 25 hostages were released. The plane then flew to Larnaca, Cyprus. Two passengers were sadly killed there. The plane then went to Algiers, Algeria. After 16 days, all the remaining hostages were released. The people who took over the plane were not caught.
Kuwait Airways During the Invasion of Kuwait (1990)
Kuwait Airways faced big problems during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. At least 15 of its planes were taken by Iraq. They were used by Iraqi Airways. The Iraqi government decided that Kuwait Airways would be closed. All its property would go to Iraqi Airways.
Kuwait Airways took legal action against Iraqi Airways. This legal fight lasted for almost 22 years. It was finally settled in 2017. Iran returned six planes to Kuwait Airways in 1992. Some other planes were destroyed during the war. After the war, Kuwait Airways asked for money for the lost planes. Iraq and Kuwait agreed that Iraq would pay Kuwait $500 million.
See also
In Spanish: Kuwait Airways para niños
- Transport in Kuwait
