Saudi-owned Nile Air to expand Gulf network

Saudi-owned Egyptian airline Nile Air has announced it is to expand its reach in the Gulf by launching flights to Kuwait, it was reported.

Nile Air will start operating a new twice weekly route between Alexandria and Kuwait from February 14, Emad Al-Sabti, head of flight schedules at the airline, told KUNA.

The Cairo-based airline was launched in 2007 at the Dubai Air Show, when it announced the purchase of nine Airbus aircraft worth US$792m.

It currently operates two leased aircraft and its route network includes flights between Cairo and Borg El Arab and the Saudi cities of Qassim, Tabuk and Jeddah.

The carrier is owned by Saudi Arabia's Al-Tayyar Travel, one of the largest travel and tourism groups in the kingdom.