Jazeera Airways takes delivery of first Airbus A320

Jazeera Airways, the new, privately owned airline of Kuwait, has taken delivery of the first of four A320s, becoming a new Airbus operator. It plans to offer low-fare services to destinations in the Middle East, beginning later this month.

The Airbus A320 was handed over to Jazeera Airways Chairman and CEO Marwan Boodai, by Airbus Chief Financial Officer Andreas Sperl, at a ceremony held in Toulouse and attended by Kuwaiti government officials and airline staff.

"Offering an alternative to established carriers, we plan an attractive combination of low-fares and quality service aboard modern Airbus A320s - the most comfortable, spacious and economical aircraft in their class," says Marwan Boodai. "Our passengers will also enjoy leather seats, which they can select and book over the internet, using the latest computer and ticketing technology."

"When you have an attractive product such as the Airbus A320, you are better placed to compete against other low-cost carriers, as well as generating a new market by providing more affordable travel," says Airbus President and CEO Gustav Humbert. "The Airbus A320’s wider and more comfortable seats, better economy, and lower training and maintenance costs all play an important part in delivering more value."

Each of Jazeera's A320s seats 165 passengers in a single-class layout, and is powered by CFM International CFM56-5 engines.

Airbus' A320 Family aircraft are the most successful of all time in the short-to-medium haul single-aisle market, offering capacities that range from the 107-seat A318 up to the 185-seat A321. Consistently the leader in independent passenger surveys, the Airbus A320 Family has become the preferred choice of low-cost as well as established carriers.

Featuring the latest aerodynamic design, including fuel-saving wingtip fences, extensive use of weight-saving materials such as advanced aluminium alloys and carbonfibre composites, and sharing a common cockpit and fly-by-wire controls with all of the other Airbus passenger aircraft in production today, the Airbus A320 Family is by far the most modern design in its class.

More than 3,700 A320 Family aircraft have been ordered so far and there are almost 200 customers and operators flying more than 2,500 of them worldwide, making them the most widespread aircraft in the Airbus product range.

Airbus is an EADS joint company with BAE Systems.

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