Demonstrating the low-cost carrier’s steady success in recent years, despite the challenging environment, passenger numbers in the first half of the year rose 3.2 percent, leading to a 3.2 percentage points improvement in load factor to 72.4 percent, which, according to Marwan Boodai, chairman, Jazeera Airways, is 10 percent higher than the average of the company’s peers on the same routes.

To attract a diverse clientele, Jazeera Airways embarked on a major product enhancement programme earlier this year.

In order to take the customer experience to new levels, the initiative, called The Next Big Thing, includes a dedicated remote check-in facility just two minutes from Kuwait International Airport, which is set to become operational by year-end; a long-term parking area at the same hub; in-flight broadband service, available from the first quarter of 2017; a terminal at the country’s airport, which is currently in an advanced planning stage; as well as a business class lounge at the airfield, which has been already launched this summer.

Jazeera Airways is currently contemplating the idea of expanding its network to include key long-haul destinations by partnering with an international operator.

The new itineraries are planned to be nonstop services and offered in collaboration with a yet-to-be-named global airline.

All in all, recognising the high potential of tourism, Kuwait aims to turn the industry into a catalyst of the country’s development towards its ambitious goals both economically and well as developmentally.