KUWAIT CITY: As Kuwait Airways, the official national carrier of the State of Kuwait, enters its 64th year of operations – the oldest single-state national carrier in the GCC region – the pioneering spirit of the airline saw a resurgence in 2016, with its iconic Bluebird emblem certainly appearing to soar once more.
The year 2016 witnessed a number of key achievements followed by rapid growth for the airline, signaling a commitment from both the management and stakeholders to position Kuwait’s official national carrier in line with global and regional developments in the aviation sector.
The catalyst for this change was the culmination of the development and introduction of Kuwait Airways’ five-year “Transformation Strategy”. Officially announced on 3rd September 2016, the planning stages for this strategy had been set in motion when Rasha Al-Roumi, Chairperson and CEO, was appointed – along with a new senior management team – in 2014.
The new strategy has seen a radical change in the carrier’s goals, across all its operational, commercial and service areas. The primary aim, according to airline sources, is to introduce a new business model and corporatized “culture of excellence” that will allow the airline to compete within the regional aviation industry. A consequence and by-product of such actions, is also the restoring of a sense of domestic and international pride, in Kuwait’s official national carrier.
So, how has Kuwait Airways gone about addressing its core challenges and looked to set itself out on this journey of change, in 2016? Well, first it should be understood that the changes being seen at Kuwait Airways have been looked at from a comprehensive review of all its business activities, flight schedules, staffing requirements and training, product and service offerings, business and subsidiary partner relations, as well as stakeholder engagement – among many other operational areas.
“The Transformation Strategy is a holistic approach to addressing key challenges that have been faced by the airline and is a detailed roadmap identifying the key milestones and goals we need to achieve over the next five years, in what is a very competitive market,” says Roumi.
