Barathan Pasupathi, chief executive of Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways, took the role in late March. Photo: Jazeera Airways
Barathan Pasupathi, chief executive of Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways, took the role in late March. Photo: Jazeera Airways
Barathan Pasupathi, chief executive of Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways, took the role in late March. Photo: Jazeera Airways
Barathan Pasupathi, chief executive of Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways, took the role in late March. Photo: Jazeera Airways

Jazeera Air 'won't hesitate' to open new base outside Kuwait if it gets right opportunity


Deena Kamel
  • English
  • Arabic

Jazeera Airways will consider opening a new base outside its home in Kuwait if it finds the right opportunity, as the airline remains bullish on growth despite geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The low-cost airline is focused on developing new direct routes from Kuwait to capitalise on strong demand and diversifying travel segments to capture more leisure and religious traffic, Jazeera Airways' new chief executive Barathan Pasupathi told The National.

"For the foreseeable next 12 to 18 months, we are going to be very focused on Kuwait. But if and when a hub opportunity comes along that is attractive for Jazeera and the wider growth of our network, we will not be hesitant to look into it," Mr Pasupathi said.

Jazeera Airways, which in March last year announced plans to start a low-cost airline in Saudi Arabia to be based at the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, has placed a bid for the licence and is optimistic about its chances.

"We went through all the steps of a tendering process and completed the due diligence to establish a hub in Dammam, twice. We are still awaiting an official announcement," Mr Pasupathi said.

"We do believe we have the best credentials and have submitted the best plan but this is a tendering process so it can go either way."

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation did not respond to a request by The National for comment on the status of the bidding process.

Jazeera Airways projected a "strong" outlook for 2024, depending on geopolitical developments in the region, after reporting a 37.3 per cent increase in second-quarter net profit to reach 5.4 million Kuwaiti dinars ($17.6 million).

Group operating revenue increased 6.2 per cent year on year to 52.6 million dinars during the three-month period, driven by strong demand for summer and Hajj travel. Passenger traffic soared by 6.5 per cent to 1.1 million.

Load factor, a measure of how efficiently an airline fills available seats, was 74 per cent during the period.

Jazeera Airways expects to take delivery of its new Airbus A320 Neo family of jets in 2026 after placing an order during the Dubai Airshow in November 2021. Photo: Jazeera Airways
Jazeera Airways expects to take delivery of its new Airbus A320 Neo family of jets in 2026 after placing an order during the Dubai Airshow in November 2021. Photo: Jazeera Airways

New routes

Mr Pasupathi, who was appointed chief executive in late March, said his focus will be on maintaining the airline's growth and reducing unit costs by bringing in-house some capabilities such as maintenance and ground-handling work.

The airline is striving to lower its unit costs by improving aircraft use and reassessing the seat density on the Airbus A321 Neos entering its fleet by 2026, he said.

Jazeera Airways will make an announcement by the fourth quarter of this year on this "strategic shift to transform its cost base", he said.

"There is an inflationary environment and as an airline we really need to manage our costs to keep fares affordable and accessible to customers, so Jazeera will be embarking on certain strategic shifts," Mr Pasupathi said, without providing details.

As it develops new direct routes to and from Kuwait, Jazeera Airways is considering the lucrative markets of south-eastern Europe that are "affordable and attractive", he said.

In the second quarter, Jazeera Airways introduced two new direct routes to Krakow, Poland, and Batumi, Georgia, from Kuwait.

The airline also sees new opportunities in travel markets where Kuwait is renegotiating bilateral air service agreements, Mr Pasupathi said. If successful, these enhanced agreements could allow Jazeera access to second-tier cities in India, for example.

Jazeera Airways plans to hire up to 3,000 staff from 2026 onwards when it takes delivery of its new Airbus narrow-bodies. Photo: Jazeera Airways
Jazeera Airways plans to hire up to 3,000 staff from 2026 onwards when it takes delivery of its new Airbus narrow-bodies. Photo: Jazeera Airways

Airbus A321 Neo 'game-changer'

Jazeera Airways, which signed a deal to buy 28 Airbus narrow-body aircraft at the Dubai Airshow in November 2021, has taken delivery of two jets and expects the remaining ones to come on time in 2026. The deal was for 20 A320 Neos and eight A321 Neos.

To operate the new aircraft and keep pace with the increase in growth, the airline expects to expand its workforce to about 2,000 to 3,000 employees, up from1,600 people currently, the chief executive said.

Jazeera Airways also expects to reach a decision on an engine order for these aircraft by the end of this year, he added.

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if you go

The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.

The trip 

Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Syria squad

Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

The bio

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France

Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines

Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.

Favourite Author: My father for sure

Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst

Match info

What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm

How green is the expo nursery?

Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery

An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo

Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery

Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape

The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides

All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality

Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country

Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow

Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site

Green waste is recycled as compost

Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs

Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers

About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer

Main themes of expo is  ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months

The specs: 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Price, base / as tested: Dh101,140 / Dh113,800


Engine: Turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder


Power: 148hp @ 5,500rpm


Torque: 250Nm @ 2,000rpm


Transmission: Eight-speed CVT


Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km

Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net

Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.

Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.

A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.

Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):

Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE

Match is on BeIN Sports

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

RESULTS

5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 |  1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap |  Dh80,000 |  1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Handicap |  Dh80,000 |  2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle

6.30pm: Handicap |  Dh85,000 |  2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel

7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap |  Dh70,000 |  2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi

7.30pm: Handicap (TB) |  Dh100,000 |  1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly

Favourite things

Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery

Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount

University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China

Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai

Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China

Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule

Thursday December 27

Men's quarter-finals

Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm

Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm

Women's exhibition

Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm

Friday December 28

5th place play-off 3pm

Men's semi-finals

Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm

Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm

Saturday December 29

3rd place play-off 5pm

Men's final 7pm

Brief scoreline:

Wales 1

James 5'

Slovakia 0

Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Updated: September 06, 2024, 9:32 AM