Wataniya Airways, Kuwait’s new premium airline, has entered into a nine-year leasing arrangement with AerCap Holdings for delivery of three new A320 aircraft that will come into service in 2010.

The new planes will double the size of the Wataniya Airways fleet to six with the first commercial flights scheduled to commence early in 2009.

This boosting of the Wataniya Airways fleet is a clear commitment by the airline to increase the scope of its services and enhance the number of flights to a growing number of regional destinations, said a top Wataniya official.

'This will help us to ensure that Wataniya Airways will become the airline of choice for the discerning Kuwaiti traveller,' said Wataniya Airways chairman & managing director Abdul Salam Al Bahar.

As with the first three A320 aircraft that Wataniya Airways have commissioned, the new planes will be configured with the lowest seat density of any A320 used on scheduled routes in the world.

Each aircraft will feature 122 seats, compared to the 145 seats (that a number of leading European airlines use on their A320s,) thus ensuring excellent leg room and comfort throughout the plane, Al Bahar noted.

George Cooper, Wataniya Airways chief executive officer said this was an important step in the airline's long term planning process to steadily build the size of its fleet and expand and extend its route network once the three new aircraft come into operation in 2010.

'We plan to make the best possible use of the aircraft leasing opportunities available to us; given the phenomenal growth of this region’s aviation industry as a result of booming economic conditions, we are very pleased to be ramping up our planned operations so quickly,' he noted.

“Moreover, we are delighted to have entered into this long-term leasing deal with AerCap which is one of the industry’s leading aircraft leasing companies,” he remarked.

Soeren Ferré, AerCap’s head of aircraft marketing for Europe, MEA and Asia Pacific / CEO of AerCap Group Services, said: 'We are very pleased to have started a relationship with Wataniya Airways and help in their plans to build a successful airline in one of the world’s most dynamic and rapidly growing aviation markets.'

'This transaction provides a very good opportunity for us to strengthen our presence in the region,' he added.

Wataniya Airways will commence services from January 2009 and will offer a point to point service from Kuwait to destinations south and west of the country in the Gulf and Middle East – providing flight schedules and destinations that focus on Kuwaiti needs.-TradeArabia News Service