Kuwait Airways Wants To Change Its Outstanding Airbus Order

Simple Flying

By Luke Bodell

Published Nov 9, 2021

The Airbus A350-900 XWB is presented to Kuwait Airways officials during a demonstration of the plane at the at International Airport in Kuwait City on November 5, 2015. Kuwait Airways, the National airline of Kuwait, has ordered 25 aircrafts including ten A350-900 according to a press release by the European aerospace corporation. AFP PHOTO / YASSER AL-ZAYYAT (Photo credit should read YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Kuwait Airways has revealed it is in talks with planemaker Airbus to amend its outstanding order. The Middle-Eastern carrier announced a deal for 10 A350-900s and 15 A320neos in 2014, later amending its order in 2018. The airline is now looking to change the type of aircraft it will receive but didn't provide any further details.

Kuwait Airways to amend its Airbus order

Gulf carrier Kuwait Airways is set to change its outstanding order with Airbus after entering talks with the planemaker. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Chairman Ali Aldakhan revealed the carrier is looking to amend its order by changing aircraft type.

Ma'an Razoq, CEO at Kuwait Airways, said the airline is looking to acquire aircraft capable of longer-range flights to aid the carrier's expansion into Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and North America.

The carrier is looking to change the type of aircraft it will receive. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons

Ma'an Razoq told Reuters,

"To reach these goals, there must be changes in (the types of aircraft)."

The airline has already cut its order for the A350-900s in half, down from 10 to five. At the same time, Kuwait Airways announced a deal to acquire eight A330neos in what was essentially a swap deal.

The airline is looking to do the same again this time around, although it did not provide any further details on what alternative aircraft it is considering. However, Razoq did say that the financial cost of the deal with Airbus would remain the same.

Kuwait's fleet

Simple Flying explored Kuwait Airways' fleet in detail this year. Currently, the airline's fleet consists of:

Airbus A320-200 (7)
Airbus A320neo (6)
Airbus A330-200 (5)
Airbus A330-800 (2)
Boeing 777-300ER (10)

Kuwait Airways didn't reveal which aircraft it is looking to change. Photo: Abdulrahman Aljassar via Wikimedia Commons

The carrier has taken delivery of six Airbus A320neos thus far, leaving nine deliveries to go. While it has yet to receive any of its five A350-900s, it has taken delivery of two of eight Airbus A330-800s. The airline is responsible for over half of all orders for the rare Airbus A330-800, with eight out of 15 orders coming from Kuwait Airways.

Kuwait did not receive government aid

At the press conference, Chairman Ali Aldakhan also revealed that Kuwait Airways did not receive any government aid during the COVID pandemic. The airline also hopes to achieve a balanced budget by the end of 2025 after a difficult period.

In September, Kuwait Airways posted a small profit of $16.58 million, far exceeding expectations. The airline had estimated it would lose up to $10 million for the month.

The airline has rejuvenated its network over the past few months. Photo: Kambui via Wikimedia Commons

Chairman Ali Aldakhan said,

"This means that the company is on the right path."

Kuwait Airways has been on the path to recovery, adding 12 destinations to its network since June. This includes resuming New York JFK flights and new routes, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina capital, Sarajevo.

What do you think about this decision? Can you speculate which aircraft type Kuwait Airways may be interested in? Feel free to share your insights in the comments.