Jazeera expands Saudi network

Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways is adding a fifth destination in Saudi Arabia to its network after growing seat capacity between the two countries by 15% in 2019.

The airline will begin a 3x-weekly service between Kuwait City and Abha from Feb. 4, 2020 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Airbus A320 aircraft will operate the route.

“We are very pleased to be launching the first direct service between Kuwait and Abha, connecting our customers to the popular Saudi tourist destination known for its unique scenic landscapes, historic monuments and breath-taking views from its surrounding mountains,” Jazeera CEO Rohit Ramachandran said.

Abha is the capital city of Aseer Province near the Red Sea in southwest Saudi Arabia. Tourist highlights include the Shadda Palace, built in 1927, which is now a museum, and the Aseer National Park.

According to data from OAG Schedules Analyser, Jazeera flies from Kuwait to Jeddah (3x-daily), Riyadh (daily), Dammam (4x-weekly, reducing to 3x-weekly from Jan. 24) and Taif (3x-weekly). The Kuwait City–Dammam route resumed in Dec. 2019 after a three-year hiatus.

The carrier’s overall two-way capacity between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia has grown from 204,156 seats in 2015 to 413,478 seats in 2019.

Jazeera operates a fleet of nine Airbus A320-200s and four A320-200neos, three of which were delivered in the last quarter of 2019.

Speaking in November, chairman Marwan Boodai said the airline planned to “robustly expand” following the aircraft deliveries.

David Casey

David Casey is Editor in Chief of Routes, the global route development community's trusted source for news and information.