(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The beginning of Kuwait's economic development came with the first oil export back in 1946, followed by an era where a number of prominent projects were executed, mainly the establishment of a national aviation company in 1953.
The country's air services field started growing since then, leading to the establishment of Kuwait National Airways in 1954, with a capital of about KD 150,000.
The local company provided trips to Beirut, Jerusalem and Damascus, before facing financial hardships in 1955. However, the government decided to take 50 percent of interest in the airline to end its economic crisis, as the company's name was changed into "Kuwait Airways".
Meanwhile, a new air services company was launched in 1960 (flights across the Arab World company), becoming a strong rival for Kuwait Airways.
Shareholders at the Kuwaiti company sold their interest as a result, leading the government to fully buy Kuwait Airways in 1962.
Later on in 1964, the company bought its first jet airplane, creating an expansion in flight numbers and destinations, providing three flights per week to London.
As demands on aviation services increased, Kuwait Airways decided to buy three bigger jet planes of Boeing 707 in November 1968, later increasing the number of its fleet in 1978.
The company's fleet and services continued growing as it owned two Boeing 247-200B in 1978, while a third one was added in 1979, enabling the carrier to provide flights to New York and the Manila in the Philippines.
Moreover, the company also added four Boeing 727-200B to its fleet in 1981. As of the time period between 1983-1984, the company bought eight Airbus A310s and A300-600s to replace the old Boeing 707 due to its high fuel consumption.
Meanwhile, the company introduced three Boeing 767-200ER aircrafts to its expanding fleet in 1986.
Kuwait Airways had 21 airplanes up until the Iraqi invasion to Kuwait on August 2 1990, with flights to 42 destinations in 35 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. The airline carried about 500 million passengers and 50,000 tons of load each year.
During the war time, 15 aircrafts were either robbed or destroyed. The government had to reconstruct most parts of the company after the liberation, buying 17 new jets and working on expanding the airline's routes to cover over 46 destinations.
Afterwards, the company had faced another period of hardships, presented in the form of an aging fleet and technical problems.
In October 2007, the executive and legislative authorities announced the privatization of Kuwait Airways, turning it into a public shareholding company.
The step included selling 35 percent of the company's shares to local and foreign investors, while 40 percent would be given to Kuwaiti citizens, 20 percent for Kuwaiti private sector organizations and five percent for the company's employees.
Kuwait Airways is now putting huge efforts to develop the company and get back on track into the modern the aviation business. The airline had signed a number of contracts to buy and rent new models of the Airbus and Boeing aircrafts.
In December 2014, the company received its long awaited rented Airbus A320. The agreement with the European aircrafts company also included buying 25 airplanes to be delivered in 2019, as the fleet is set to be completed by 2022.
Meanwhile, on December 22, 2014, the company announced signing an agreement with the Boeing company to buy ten airplanes of 777-300ER, as the delivery of four of these planes is set for November 2016.
This fleet development will allow the company to compete with the top aviation companies once again, said Chairman of the Board in Kuwait airways Rasha Al-Roumi.
Director of the sales and marketing department at Kuwait Airways Mohammad Al-Anezi on his part said that this step aims to connect Kuwait with different international destinations, making the country an economic, cultural and commercial center.
The fleet expansion completion in 2022 will mark a new beginning for the local airline, which has a history of over 60 years in aviation services.
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