Wataniya Airways

Infobox Airline
airline = Wataniya Airways

logo_size = 260
fleet_size =
destinations = 0 (9 planned)
IATA = -
ICAO = -
callsign = -
parent =
company_slogan =
founded = 2005
headquarters = Safat, Kuwait
key_people = Abdulsalam al-Bahar (Chairman)
George Cooper (CEO)
hubs = Kuwait International Airport
secondary_hubs =
focus_cities =
frequent_flyer =
lounge =
alliance =
website = http://www.wataniyaairways.com/

Wataniya Airways is a planned airline that has its corporate headquarters in Safat, Kuwait. The airline was founded in 2005 and received an Air Operators Certificate in July 2008. It is due to start services with two Airbus A320s in January 2009 and will provide flights from Kuwait city to destinations across the Gulf and wider Middle East. The A320 aircraft will have a dual-cabin configuration composed of business and economy sections.cite news |first=Ulf |last= Laessing |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Third Kuwaiti airline to take off in January |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/asiaCompanyAndMarkets/idINL2600140820080526?sp=true |work=Thomson Reuters |publisher= |location= India |date=2008-05-26 |accessdate=2008-08-18 ]

History

Wataniya Airways was formed as part of the Kuwait Government’s liberalization of aviation services in 2005 [cite web |url=http://www.wataniyaairways.com/content.aspx?pageid=10 |title=About Wataniya Airways: our Story |accessdate=2008-07-21 ] and was founded by Kuwaiti corporations including Kipco and Global Investment House. The airline launched a public offering of 350 million shares in January 2006, the equivalent of 70% of its capital of KWD50 million (USD 188 million), and expects to list its shares on the Kuwait Stock Exchange by the end of 2008. [cite press release |title=Kuwait National Airways Announces KAMCO Will Manage Its Listing on Kuwait Stock Exchange |url=http://www.wataniyaairways.com/content.aspx?pageid=24&newsid=15 |publisher= Wataniya Airways|date= 2008-06-23|accessdate=2008-06-25]

Wataniya Airways' visual identity was created by the Peter Schmidt Group and unveiled to the public in May 2008. The tail fin of Wataniya Airways' aircraft will be purple, and features the internationally known symbol of Kuwait—the Kuwait Towers. [ cite press release |title=Wataniya Airways Is Born |url=http://www.wataniyaairways.com/content.aspx?pageid=23&newsid=11 |publisher= Wataniya Airways|date= 2008-05-26 | accessdate=2008-05-26]

Destinations

Wataniya Airways plans on having the following destinations as part of its initial route network:

Middle East

*Lebanon
**Beirut
*Syria
**Damascus
*Jordan
**Amman
*Egypt
**Cairo
*Saudi Arabia
**Jeddah
**Riyadh
*United Arab Emirates
**Dubai
*Bahrain
**Manama
*Qatar
**Doha

Future destinations include London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manila, and Bangkok.

Fleet

Three new Airbus A320 aircraft will be leased and delivered in 2010 from Dutch-based AerCap Holdings for nine years. [cite news |title=Kuwait's Wataniya Airways leases three Airbuses |work=Agence France-Presse |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h79xdU0JTHEl-nqnsp6PRR4IE3Fg |accessdate=2008-08-27 ] Wataniya Airways aims to have at least 12 aircraft, including wide-body planes by 2012.

Cabin

Wataniya Airways offers two classes of service: Business class and Economy Class. [cite news |title=Wataniya Airways to begin commercial flights |work=Kuwait Times |url=http://www.gulfbase.com/site/interface/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?n=71981 |accessdate=2008-08-28 |publisher=GulfBase ]

Business class offers 26 seats in a configuration of 2×2, with a seat pitch of 44 inches.

Economy class offers 96 seats in a configuration of 3×3, with a seat pitch of 34 inches.

References