Kuwait Airways, the national carrier of the State of Kuwait, has revealed a “once in a generation” revision to the airline’s livery at an official launch event held at the Boeing factory, in Everett, near Seattle, USA. The new look branding was unveiled on the first of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs that will be delivered to Kuwait Airways, by Q3 2017.
Following Kuwait Airways’ recent announcement of its new five-year business plan, in September 2016, the combination of the new livery and delivery of the Boeing 777-300ERs represent two of the airline’s first major steps towards achieving the goals set out in its “Transformation Strategy”. The acquisition of the Boeing 777-300ERs into the fleet will play an immediate and significant ongoing role in serving Kuwait Airways’ long-haul destinations and ultimately open new routes.
According to the new livery’s designers, the branding change is more than just a cosmetic upgrade. Its purpose, they say, is to send a clear message to passengers, stakeholders and the community-at-large, that change is happening across and throughout the whole organization of the airline. To this end, the fresh, dynamic look will also be reflected in Kuwait Airways’ comprehensive approach to delivering on all areas of “operational, commercial and service excellence”.
“The launch of our new livery is an unreservedly clear statement-of-intent,” said Mrs. Rasha Al Roumi, Chairperson and CEO of Kuwait Airways.
“While the outward change to our aircraft will be obvious, we also hope to demonstrate that a much deeper and thorough transformation process is underway; one that will reassert our pioneering legacy in the region’s aviation industry and restore a sense of pride in the national carrier of Kuwait. Ultimately, such changes will be in pursuit of asserting our position as the preferred choice for passengers, linking Kuwait to the world,” Al Roumi added.
Focusing on the physical changes, Kuwait Airways’ fresh new look retains a revision of the iconic blue bird, but now more prominently featured on the body of the aircraft - from the tail and across the rear end of the plane. The two-tonal blues denote a meeting of the sea and sky, signifying the point at which new horizons will be crossed. This forward-looking aspiration is then juxtaposed with the subtle inclusion of the pearl designs - a nod to Kuwait’s historic maritime and trading roots.
According to Al Roumi, the addition of the 10 new Boeing 777-300ERs will - among many other developments - see the airline develop into owning one of the youngest commercial fleet, in the region, by 2017.
Kuwait Airways is the National Airline of the State of Kuwait. Established in 1953 as a private company, the airline was initially 50% owned by the Kuwaiti government. In 1962, the government assumed 100% ownership, making it the longest serving, official state carrier operating from the Arabian Gulf Region.
A member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and employing over 4,800 people, Kuwait Airways’ head office is in the heart of Kuwait City, close to Kuwait International Airport. The airline currently provides regular scheduled services to 38 international destinations in the Far East, Middle East, Europe and North America.
In 2017, the airline is expected to cross the milestone of serving over three million passengers, per year.
Kuwait Airways’ fleet of 22 aircraft currently consists of 7 x A320-200CEO (completed delivery Q2 2015), 5 x A330s (completed delivery Q4 2015), 4 x A340-300s, 3 x A330-200, 2 x Boeing 777-200s, 1 x Boeing 747-400.
In November 2016, Kuwait Airways will receive the first of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, with expected completion of delivery of the final aircraft in Q3 2017. Further additions to the fleet will include 15 A320neo’s (delivery to start in 2018) and 10 A350s. Once the delivery of these new aircraft is concluded, Kuwait Airways will boast the youngest commercial airline fleet in the world.