Kuwait Airways
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Kuwait Airways (Arabic: الخطوط الجوية الكويتية) is Kuwait's national and international airline and is wholly owned by the Kuwaiti Government. It operates scheduled services throughout the Middle East and to Europe, the Far East and North America. Its main base is Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City.
Kuwait Airways is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
History
The airline was conceived in February 1953 by two Kuwaiti businessmen and was established in March 1954. It started operations on 16 March 1954 as Kuwait National Airways. The current name was established in 1958, and that year saw a modernization of the fleet. In the 1970s, the airline further expanded its routes to include flights within the Middle East.
The airline was heavily affected by the Gulf War with many planes having to leave due to the invasion. During the occupation, operations were transferred to Bahrain. The carrier flew a free Kuwait Airways service on the Bombay-Bahrain-Cairo-London route with an unpainted B727. The aftermath of the war saw a change in composition of fleet. In 2005, Kuwait Airways signed an agreement with Sabre Airline Solutions giving Kuwait Airways full access to a modernized planning and crew optimizing portfolio.
Hijackings in the 1980s
During the Iran-Iraq War, Kuwait Airways was the target of two hijackings. [link] The first was in 1984, when two Lebanese Shi'a gunmen diverted a flight to Tehran. The stand-off took 6 days but finally Iranian security officers dressed as staff overpowered the hijackers.
In 1988 a Kuwait Airways Boeing was hijacked and diverted to Algiers while on its way to Kuwait from Bangkok. The hijacking lasted 16 days and ended with a Naval Officer from the Kuwaiti Royal Family being killed and another Kuwaiti military person. The Algerian authorities allowed the hijackers to escape and asked for the remainder of the 110 people aboard to be set free.
Services
see full article: Kuwait Airways destinations.Fleet
The Kuwait Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of June 2005):
- 5 Airbus A300B4
- 3 Airbus A310-300
- 3 Airbus A320-200
- 4 Airbus A340-300
- 1 Boeing 747-400 (VIP only)
- 2 Boeing 777-200
External links
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