Jazeera Airways ramps up flights across 20 destinations

Dubai: Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways is planning more than 1,000 flights and over 200,000 seats through April 30 as it stabilises operations following recent disruptions, its CEO Barathan Pasupathi announced.

“We are planning our operations on a rolling basis of four to six weeks… covering more than 20 destinations over 1,000 flights and more than 200,000 seats. We are managing the situation day by day,” he said.

The airline added it remains in continuous coordination with Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation and other authorities to prioritise safety.

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Regional effort

The CEO also praised the role of Middle East carriers during the crisis.

“Airlines in the Middle East play a critical role in connecting the world… we stand alongside our peers in the region and highly value their efforts,” Pasupathi said.

Jazeera Airways said its immediate response to the crisis focused on passenger safety after operations were suspended on February 28.

Nearly four million people in Kuwait were affected, including students, families and travellers abroad.

“A broad segment of travellers has been affected… our first objective was to ensure everyone’s safety,” the CEO said.

The airline evacuated its terminal and arranged alternative routes for stranded passengers via Bahrain and overland through Saudi Arabia.

The airline credited strong backing from Saudi Arabia for enabling a rapid operational restart. On March 11, Jazeera Airways operated its first flight from Qaisumah to Cairo, carrying 145 passengers.

The airline launched a cross-border operational model, internally referred to as “Project Baraka”. “Every flight departing from Saudi Arabia carries the Jazeera Airways J9 code and is treated as a Kuwaiti flight,” the CEO said.

Operations began in Qaisumah before expanding to Dammam due to capacity constraints.

“Given the limited capacity… we expanded our operations by launching additional flights from Dammam,” he said. Around 300 airline staff are currently deployed in Saudi Arabia to support operations.

The airline also set up a new operational hub in Kuwait within just 20 hours. “Our teams have demonstrated exceptional agility,” the CEO said.

Jazeera Airways also activated cargo operations to maintain supply chains.

“The current conditions have impacted trade… we have deployed cargo operations to support food, medical and essential goods into Kuwait,” the CEO said.