Jazeera Airways (J9, Kuwait) is looking at acquiring longhaul-capable A321neo jets for use in developing Kuwait into an intercontinental hub.
The Kuwaiti carrier's founder Marwan Boodai told Bloomberg it was currently looking at using the A321neo's LR and XLR variants to open up new destinations in Europe while cities such as Hong Kong International and Guangzhou would be targetted in the Far East.
“The XLR would be a natural progression. When you go east, you get a much wider market. You can reach Thailand and Manila Ninoy Aquino International and many other destinations with a high density that we can serve best as a low-cost carrier,” he said. "We want the flexibility of a narrow-body and to be able to fill it, rather than the theoretical advantage of a wide-body. The A330’s seat-mile costs are attractive, but can airlines fill it with the consistency they need?”
Jazeera Airways currently operates ten A320ceo and one A320neo all of which are leased from third-party firms. A further seven A320neo will deliver by the end of 2020 with a total of 16 to be in place by 2023. In addition to those jets, Jazeera Airways is looking to add around 25 more A320neo Family jets Jazeera chief executive officer Rohit Ramachandran added.
Network-wise, Jazeera Airways' reach extends from Kuwait to as far west as Istanbul Airport in Turkey and Hyderabad International in India in the east. Other destinations include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, and Pakistan.
However, from October 27, flights to London Gatwick in the United Kingdom will launch while Dhaka in Bangladesh will debut in December.
