Kuwait Airways signs purchase agreement for Airbus A330neo
Kuwait Airways has signed a purchase agreement to acquire eight Airbus A330-800neos. The signing was held in Toulouse and was performed by Kuwait Airways Chairman, Yusef Al-Jassim and Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, Christian Scherer.
Yousef Al-Jassim reflected on the agreement in the following statement:
“The A330-800 will seamlessly fit into our fleet expansion and growth plans. Its unbeatable operating economics and performance in addition to best in class passenger comfort make it a sound investment. We are confident that the A330-800 will support us to compete effectively on our expanding route network. Our relationship with Airbus extends beyond aircraft acquisitions and we look forward to further collaboration on technical fields.”
The agreement adds to the other Airbus aircraft Kuwait Airways has on order, which includes 15 A320neos and 10 A350-900s. Deliveries of all the new aircraft are set to commence in 2019.
Two Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines power the A330neo, which offer exceptional commonality with the Trent XWB featured on the A350. That and the fact that the A330neo and A350 share a common type-rating together as well as the existing A330s within Kuwait’s fleet helps reduce pilot, maintenance crew and cabin crew training.
The A330-800 has yet to perform its maiden flight but Airbus is hinting a time frame of a couple of weeks before that happens. Coming towards the end of the year, Airbus is focusing on getting as many aircraft delivered as possible.
