Jazeera Airways (J9, Kuwait) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for up to 33 aircraft including a firm commitment for twenty A320-200Ns and eight A321-200Ns. The tentative agreement, which was signed during the 2021 Dubai Air Show, also has an option for five more unspecified aircraft.

“Jazeera Airways is pleased to extend its long-term relationship with Airbus further with this significant new order," Marwan Boodai, the Kuwaiti carrier's chairman, said. "We will effectively double our current fleet size to 35 aircraft by 2026. The airline has pulled out of the pandemic strongly in Q3 with a return to profitability. We have exciting expansion plans ahead, which will further boost our contribution to the Kuwait economy and in particular the travel sector.”

Delivery dates will only be revealed once the MOU is firmed, a stock exchange filing said.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows Jazeera Airways operates eight A320-200s and nine A320neo at present. In terms of reach, it connects the Gulf state with 35 cities across the Middle East, Egypt, India, Pakistan, the CIS, Ethiopia, and the UK.

Though no mention was made of the type, Chief Executive Officer Rohit Ramachandran told ch-aviation earlier this year that both the A321-200NX(LR) and A321-200NY(XLR) were particularly appealing given Jazeera Airways' long-term expansion plans to serve the Far East and North Africa.