Tell us about Jazeera Airways!

Jazeera Airways was established in 2004 in Kuwait. It is the first non-government, non-profit airline in the Middle East and is also the first airline to be listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. Jazeera currently flies to more than 66 cities across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa, and Europe. This includes high-demand business, leisure, religious, and weekend destinations. Our fleet of 23 aircraft includes Airbus A320 and A320neo aircraft. In June 2018, Jazeera became the first airline in the Middle East to add the A320neo aircraft to its fleet. 

In Kuwait, Jazeera Airways owns and operates its own airport terminal – Jazeera Terminal 5. With a focus on comfortable, convenient and affordable travel, we have won several awards for our services over the years. This includes the Best Low-Cost Airline in the Middle East. 

Strategy for Expansion & Growth

Globally, we are expanding our network to offer customers more choices for travel across the Middle East, Europe, Central and South Asia as well as Africa. This summer we introduced several new destinations including Belgrade, Tirana, Tivat, Shiraz and Tehran. We also restarted flights to Prague and Sarajevo. 

For network expansion, Jazeera Airways uses a data-driven approach to evaluate destinations including passenger demand. We conduct feasibility studies to determine viability and secure regulatory approvals and airport slots for viable routes. Our goal is to offer a wide range of destinations while maintaining a sustainable business model.

In terms of frequency, we aim to offer our passengers a range of options that meet their needs and preferences. We consider factors such as the time of day, day of the week, and seasonality when determining flight schedules. We also monitor passenger demand and adjust our schedules accordingly to ensure that we are offering the right number of flights to each destination.

Benefits of Flying with Jazeera Airways

At Jazeera Airways, we are committed to providing a high-quality travel experience that exceeds customer expectations. We have implemented various measures to ensure on-time performance, such as optimizing flight schedules and managing a well-maintained fleet. We also offer affordable fares and flexible booking options to make travel planning easier for our customers. We deliver a hassle-free and courteous customer service experience, focusing on providing a personalized and comfortable travel experience. Besides offering convenient connections, we also have a comfortable layover area at our own airport terminal in Kuwait - Jazeera Terminal 5. To ensure a continued focus on improvement, we regularly solicit feedback from customers and use this input to further enhance our services and offerings. Overall, we are dedicated to providing a safe, reliable, and enjoyable travel experience for all of our customers.

We also recognize the importance of sustainability and are committed to reducing our environmental impact. One of the ways we are achieving this is by implementing a range of sustainable initiatives across our operations. For example, we have invested in new, fuel-efficient aircraft that reduce our carbon emissions and fuel consumption. The A320neos in our fleet reduce CO2 emissions by 50%, engine noise by 50% and increase fuel efficiency by 18%. Jazeera is the first Kuwaiti airline and the region’s first Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) to implement a climate compensation initiative CHOOOSE™ that helps passengers offset their carbon impact.

How is your inflight product different?

Jazeera Airways ensures affordable fares and convenient flights for a positive passenger experience. Passengers can select seats online to ensure maximum comfort during the flight. They can also pre-order in-flight meals online through our J Café. For inflight entertainment, we provide Jazeera screens that you can use on your own mobile device, with a wide selection of movies, TV shows, and music. 

We recently introduced pre-ordering of Duty Free and On-board shop items online. Passengers can now opt to pre-order items from an extensive collection of luxury perfumes, jewellery, electronics, tobacco and other gift items from the Jazeera Duty Free or On-board shop to receive them on-board their flight. To buy any products, passengers simply have to add them on from the Travel Extras option when booking flights through our website or app up to 24 hours prior to departure. All shopping can be done through a debit or credit card safely and securely. Items will be delivered to passengers on-board their flight. Prices of all pre-ordered items will be up to 15% lesser that those purchased in-flight. 

Tell us about your Presence in India!

We have been operating in India for over five years. Starting with Hyderabad in the year 2017, we grew our network to cover six cities in the country. Our pan India network connects Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, and Bengaluru direct to Kuwait. Jazeera Airways has been well-received by Indian travellers mostly expats that appreciate affordable fares, direct connectivity, quality service, and convenient flight timings. 

Starting from booking flights on our user-friendly website or mobile app to service- oriented staff, Jazeera Airways strives to offer the best value for customers on every journey.

What is your Outlook Toward the Indian Aviation Market?

During the last few years, LCCs in India have played a very important role in making air travel more affordable for the average Indian traveller. This has attracted a growing number of middle-class consumers to LCCs. The growing number of middle-income households has thus led to an increase in air travel demand. The rise of international tourism has also been a significant driver of growth for the aviation industry in India. 

What are your Growth and Expansion plans in India?

We are keen to expand our network in India to serve the large expat population in Kuwait. However, this requires a larger seat allocation. The seat capacity allocated to us has not increased since 2007 when the Indian population was around 300,000 only. The current population of Indians in Kuwait is over 800,000. 

We currently serve six cities in India, connecting directly from Kuwait, which makes Jazeera an ideal option for the large expatriate community in the country to travel back home. 

Are you eyeing any possible codeshare / Interline Agreements with Indian Airlines?

We have not explored this possibility in India. But we continue to scope opportunities for new partnerships and alliances with other airlines to enhance our offerings and provide more benefits to our passengers across our network.

About the Author

Rohit Ramachandran, is the first and only Indian Chief Executive Officer to lead a Middle Eastern airline. He is credited with turning Jazeera Airways around, and putting it on the path to profitable growth. During his six-year tenure, he led an ambitious program of restructuring the company, dramatically reducing the cost structure, network expansion and fleet renewal.  Under his leadership, the airline also posted consistently rising profits grew its market cap by a multiple of 7 and its fleet from 7 to 23 aircraft. 

Rohit has over 20 years of aviation experience and an MBA in International Marketing and Aviation Law. In 2020, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.