('s national and international
Airline and is wholly owned by the Kuwaiti Government. It operates scheduled services throughout the
Middle East and to
Europe , the
Far East and
North America . Its main base is
Kuwait International Airport in
Kuwait City .
Kuwait Airways is a member of the
Arab Air Carriers Organization .
The airline was formed from an idea conceived in February
1953 by two Kuwaiti businessmen. It was established in March 1954 and started operations on
16 March 1954 as Kuwait National Airways. The current name was established in
1958 , and that year saw a modernization of the fleet. In the 1970s, the airline further expanded its routes to include flights within the Middle East.
The airline was heavily affected by the
Gulf War with many planes having to leave due to the invasion. The aftermath of the war saw a change in composition of fleet. It also led the airline to lose money every year until
2000 when a profit was finally made. In
2005 , Kuwait Airways signed an agreement with
Sabre Airline Solutions giving Kuwait Airways full access to a modernized planning and crew optimizing portfolio, increasing the possibility to create additional revenue gain and profits in the years to come.
''see full article:'' .
The Kuwait Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of June
2005 ):
