Kuwait Airways raises Airbus order to 31 jets in $6 bn deal

"We have managed to agree on a monumental restructuring that will position Kuwait Airways in a much stronger place to succeed for the next 15 years," company chairman Ali Al-Dukhan told a news conference.

The new agreement, which adds three new aircraft to the existing order of 28, includes nine Airbus A320neo, six A321neo, three A321neoLR, four A330-800neo, seven A330-900neo and two A350-900.

Al-Dukhan said the reshaped deal, aimed at giving the airline greater flexibility after the travel industry was rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, now carried a "total value of about $6 billion".

"Although corrections were made in 2018, the deal needed further corrections to suit Kuwait Airways' future, especially with the need to transition and become more flexible in a post-Covid aviation industry," he said.

Kuwait Airways has so far received eight aircraft and "we expect two (more) before the end of the year," Dukhan said. "Most of the aircraft will arrive by 2026."

"The agreement will give us more flexibility to expand to more destinations," he said, adding that the airline was aiming to grow from 57 to 100 direct destinations within the next two years.