Kuwait Airways’ plans of growing passenger numbers to 5.5 million in 2025 from more than 4 million last year faces difficulties due to delayed aircraft deliveries and geopolitical pressure in the region.
Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) Chairperson Abdulmohsen Al-Fagaan said on Monday that the airline is scheduled to receive a new plane, an Airbus-321, at the end of August and AN A-330-900 aircraft by the end of the year, but that is far short of the nine aircraft it has been waiting to receive from Airbus.
Reuters reported that Kuwait Airways has 27 jets now, and expects to reach 30 by the end of 2025, with the rest due in 2027. Al-Fagaan said the airlines’ plans had been based on having 33 aircraft in 2024, whereas at one point it had just 23, having also had to return leased planes.
That, Al-Fagaan said, would affect the company’s plan to grow. The airline did not disclose 2024’s profit during a press conference following the airline’s annual general meeting.
Al-Fagaan said political challenges disrupting the region’s aviation industry and other issues related to some countries it serves, would also delay the carrier’s 2025 break-even target.
Al-Fagaan added that the board is seeking to develop KAC’s operations further and said it would offer top services and present innovative solutions to meet the clients’ demands.
