Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Wataniya Airways

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KW
  
WAN

Company slogan
  
It's a Pleasure

Founded
  
2005

Fleet size
  
7

Frequent-flyer program
  
Wataniya Diwan

Headquarters
  
Al Farwaniyah, Kuwait

Ceased operations
  
2011

Wataniya Airways wwwchaviationcomportalstock2440jpg

Hubs
  
Kuwait International Airport

Key people
  
Abdulsalam al-Bahar (Chairman) George Cooper (CEO)

Destinations
  
7 (29 codeshare agreement)

Commenced operations
  
January 2009 (initial launch); January 2017 (resumption of service)

Hub
  
Kuwait International Airport

Wataniya airways tv commercial


Kuwait Wataniya Airways (K.S.C.) (Arabic: (شركة الخطوط الوطنية الكويتية (ش.م.ك‎‎), doing business as Wataniya Airways (Arabic: الخطوط الوطنية‎‎), is a publicly traded company on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. Wataniya Airways' hub is the exclusive Sheikh Saad Terminal in Kuwait while its corporate headquarters were on the property of Kuwait International Airport, Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait. The airline was founded in 2006 and received an Air Operators Certificate in July 2008. It started services with an Airbus A320 in January 2009 from the Sheikh Saad General Aviation Terminal and provided flights from Kuwait to destinations across the Persian Gulf, wider Middle East and Europe. Wataniya Airways was the first and only commercial airline to operate its flights out of a private terminal in Kuwait. Wataniya Airways' A320 aircraft has a dual-cabin configuration composed of Business First and Premium Economy sections.

Contents

Wataniya airways taxi and take off from kuwait airport


History

Wataniya Airways was formed as part of the Kuwait Government’s liberalization of aviation services in 2005 and was founded by Kuwaiti corporations that include corporate giant Kipco which owns majority shares in the company. 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 listed its shares on the Kuwait Stock Exchange by the end of 2008.

Wataniya Airways' visual identity was unveiled to the public in May 2008. The tail fin of Wataniya Airways' aircraft is purple, and features the internationally known symbol of Kuwait—the Kuwait Towers.

Due to overcapacity on some flights, the airline decided in December 2010 to reduce operation, park three aircraft, and lay off some employees.

On 16 March 2011, Wataniya Airways ceased all its operations because of financial difficulties, and began discussions with its shareholders to determine the future of the company.

In August 2016 they announced their comeback and to restart operations in January 2017.

Destinations

Wataniya Airways served the following destinations as part of its scheduled services (as of 15 March 2011).

Codeshare agreements

Wataniya Airways had a codeshare agreement with Austrian Airlines.

Cabin

Wataniya Airways offered two classes of service: Business First Class and Premium Economy Class.

  • Business First offered 26 seats in a configuration of 2×2, with a seat pitch of 44 inches.
  • Premium Economy offered 96 seats in a configuration of 3×3, with a seat pitch of 34 inches.
  • Fleet

    As of March 2011 the Wataniya Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

    Milestones

  • January 2009: Start of commercial operations
  • April 2010: SKYTRAX Survey second place among Middle Eastern carriers in Staff Service Excellence
  • References

    Wataniya Airways Wikipedia