KIA finalises it B777 fleet renewal orders

Kuwait Airways has finalised its order for ten Boeing 777-300ERs (Extended Range), valued at $3.3 billion at list prices.
The airline originally announced its intent to order the 777-300ER in November.
“Kuwait Airways has plans to renew its fleet as well as expand its operations and the 777-300ER is a perfect airplane for our strategy,” said Kuwait Airways CEO Rasha Al Roumi,. “The airplane has already validated its position in terms of high reliability, low operating costs and fuel efficiency. We are looking forward to having the 777-300ER join our fleet.”
The 777-300ER carries 386 passengers in a standard three-class configuration up to 7,825 nautical miles (14,490 kilometers), on non-stop routes.
“This order marks another feather in the cap for the 777-300ER which not only continues to be an integral part of the fleet of many of the world’s airlines but is also being ordered by new customers who see the value of the airplane,” said Ray Conner, president and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The aerospace industry in the Middle East continues to enjoy a phenomenal growth and we are proud to be part of that growth and look forward to an enduring relationship with Kuwait Airways.”
Industry analyst, Saj Ahmad, said: "In finalising the long await deal for ten new Boeing 777-300ERs, Kuwait Airways has finally committed itself to reinventing its brand and stature after having fallen behind its GCC rivals.
"Alongside the Airbus A350-900s that will enter their fleet toward the end of the decade, the nearer term deliveries of the 777-300ER will allow Kuwait Airways to phase out its existing long haul fleet with a modern, reliable and fuel efficient jet which is also used by Qatar Airways, Etihad and the biggest operator in the world, Emirates.
"Kuwait Airways has dithered in the dark for more than two decades and now has to augment this new fleet with a new revamped strategy to turn its fortunes around. With the Middle East home to the fastest growing numbers for passenger traffic, demand for travel here has never been higher and Kuwait Airways can certainly make in-roads into this business and provide some good competition to its Arabian peers as well as giving customers more incentive to look beyond the "Big Arab Three" airlines
"Kuwait Airways has a brilliant platform to execute its new vision and they have to ensure that bureaucracy and waste is stripped out of its operations if it really aims to claw back so much market share that it has squandered away since the 1990s."