Kuwait Airways is adding a second U.S. gateway to its network during the fourth quarter of the year, reinstating flights on a route that has been unserved for more than six years.
Schedules have been filed to launch service connecting Kuwait City International Airport (KWI) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) from Dec. 15. Flights will operate three times per week using Airbus A330-800neo aircraft.
KWI-IAD has been unserved nonstop since United Airlines ended operations in January 2016 after almost a decade. The move followed a spat between U.S. and Kuwaiti authorities after the U.S. Transportation Department accused Kuwait Airways of unlawfully discriminating against a passenger.
Kuwait Airways’ new service will cover a distance of 6,558 mi. (5,699 nm), becoming the farthest in its network and setting a record as the longest in the world to be served by an A330-800neo.
During 2015—the last full calendar year that United operated its IAD-KWI service—U.S. Transport Department figures show United carried 74,125 passengers on the route.
Washington will join New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) as the second U.S. point served by Kuwait Airways. Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows the airline currently operates the JFK route daily using Boeing 777-300ERs, offering 4,676 two-way weekly seats. The link is the sole nonstop connection between the U.S. and Kuwait.
Alongside the North America expansion, OAG data reveals that Kuwait Airways also intends to open a new European route to Barcelona, Spain, from Oct. 30. Flights from KWI will be available three times per week aboard A320neos.
In addition, the carrier plans to inaugurate service to Taif, Saudi Arabia, from Dec. 10 and to Shiraz, Iran, from Dec. 12. Both routes will operate 3X-weekly using A320s to Taif and A320neos to Shiraz.
Kuwait Airways operates a fleet of 33 aircraft, comprising seven A320s, eight A320neos, five A330-200s, four A330-800s and nine 777-300ERs.
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