Plans to privatise Kuwait Airways Company (KAC) could be completed within a year and steps are being taken to make the airline more attractive to would-be investors, a senior official has said.
KAC’s chairman Sami Al-Nusif said he was confident that the carrier would play “an integral role in transforming Kuwait” into a financial and commercial hub despite its recent troubles.
In comments published by KUNA, Al-Nusif said the privatisation of KAC “would transform the company into a leading force within the air travel domain”.
Al-Nusif said that developing the airline’s fleet was a priority in a bid to attract investors, adding that “selling the company in its current status would not be a good option”.
“If all goes well and the restructuring plan works, KAC might be sold within a year, he said.
KAC regional director Bader Al-Amiri added that the company was “working on measures to rectify itself to bring the whole operation to the world’s attention”.
In April, Kuwait’s cabinet approved an amended draft law paving the way for the privatisation of Kuwait Airways within three years.
Kuwait’s parliament first approved a plan to privatise the loss-making Kuwait Airways in 2008, but the process has been repeatedly held up.
Al-Nusif added that KAC would be embarking on steps to modernise its fleet and adding new destinations while making sure that its customers “had a secure and safe flight experience”.
He said maintenance fees increased from KD4m to KD36m to ensure that aircraft were up to the highest safety standard and “would not endanger the lives of travellers”.
In July, Kuwaiti lawyer Hawra Al Habeeb called for the suspension of the entire Kuwait Airways fleet for safety reasons, after the government grounded five aircraft.
The call came just days after it was reported that a Kuwait Airways flight from Kuwait to Jeddah, with 186 passengers onboard, was forced to make an emergency landing due to engine problems.
Al-Nusif also said that KAC board members would discuss plans to tackle the airline’s KD100m deficit at a meeting in the near future.
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