Jazeera Airways (J9, Kuwait) chairman Marwan Boodai has confirmed the carrier will lease in three A320neo the first of which is slated for delivery later this quarter.
Boodai told Reuters in an interview that the first of the trio will arrive in June 2018 with the second and third to follow in March and April 2019 respectively. Further aircraft may be acquired either through lease or outright acquisition, he added.
The Airbus narrowbodies will be used to expand the Kuwaiti hybrid carrier's route network beyond its current 5-hour range encompassing the Gulf region as well as Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, India, Pakistan, and Georgia.
"Europe, we will cover a large part of it, and the Far East will cover it even more," he said, adding that "even destinations beyond India, such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, will be accessible by the new aircraft we are talking about."
Over the next three years, Jazeera Airways expects to serve 80 destinations up from the current 25. However, such rapid growth will depend on the rate at which the airline and the Kuwaiti authorities can secure the necessary bilateral service rights, the chairman said.
As such, Jazeera Airways is currently working closely with the Kuwaiti authorities, both the Civil Aviation Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to secure the necessary rights.
