Kuwait Airways set back
Kuwait's plan to sell 80% of flag carrier Kuwait Airways was rejected in July by the country's parliament. The government had proposed selling a 40% stake to institutional investors and another 40% through an initial public offering. The airline's management has long pressed for privatisation of the company in order to give it greater commercial freedom and allow it to compete more effectively in international markets.
Emirates talks to Etihad
Etihad Airways has entered exploratory talks with rival Emirates to assess the potential for co-operation in areas where the two airlines do not directly compete. Etihad says the two UAE carriers are discussing whether both could benefit from synergies in areas such as technical engineering, information technology and purchasing. It says there is no possibility of a merger or acquisition.
Etihad accelerates Brisbane
Loads have been so strong on Etihad's inaugural Australian route to Sydney that it has sought and the Australian government has approved a second route ahead of the timetable set in the bilateral between the two. Etihad will launch Abu Dhabi-Brisbane flights in September instead of next year.
Qatar and United codeshare
Qatar Airways has entered into a codeshare deal with United Airlines. Qatar will carry United's code on its new services from Doha to Newark and Washington Dulles, as well as on several connecting flights to South Asia. United will carry Qatar's code on several transatlantic flights and over 50 domestic US flights. Meanwhile, United has unveiled plans to increase from January its Dulles-Kuwait City service from three weekly flights to daily.
RAK begins charter flights
UAE start-up carrier RAK Airways launched charter operations in late June with a single Boeing 757 but has not yet begun long-delayed scheduled flights. The carrier, which originally planned to launch early this year with scheduled services from its Ras Al Khaimah base, has been struggling to get off the ground and has already gone through three chief executives.
Source: Airline Business
