Story ID: GPkuwait11202014
Kuwait Airways Commits to 10 Boeing 777-300ERs
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Fleet renewal to start in 2016
Word Count: 195
Kuwait Airways has agreed to buy 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, company chairperson and CEO Rasha Al-Roumi told the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Thursday. The letter of intent calls for delivery of the first of the airplanes, worth $3.3 billion at list prices, in November 2016.

Boeing confirmed the deal in a statement released hours after the publication of the KUNA report. “We appreciate the start of a new partnership with Kuwait Airways,” said Marty Bentrott, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of sales for the Middle East, Russia and Central Asia. “Boeing looks forward to an enduring relationship with Kuwait Airways and we are excited to see that the 777-300ER airplane, which is the preferred long-haul carrier for so many airlines around the world, will now play an important role in the airline’s fleet strategy and expansion.”

Now flying an eclectic fleet of 15 Airbus A300s, A310s, A320s and A340s along with a pair of Boeing 777-200ERs, Kuwait Airways last February placed a firm order for 15 A320neos and 10 A350-900s. It expects to take delivery of the first of those airplanes in 2019.