and a net profit of KWD2 million (USD6.6 million) for the second quarter.

Marwan Boodai, chairman, Jazeera Airways, attributed the 6.9 percent and 38.1 percent declines in figures to the challenging market conditions, which, as he said, included capacity decreases, rising fuel costs and an expected shift of the summer season due to the timing of Ramadan.

For the first half of the year, the Kuwaiti carrier’s operating revenue stood at KWD24.7 million (USD81.9 million), down 7.3 percent, while net profit dropped three percent to KWD6 million (USD19.9 million).