Summary
- Jazeera Airways maximizes passenger capability by utilizing all-economy A320s.
- The airline’s all-economy strategy helps reduce its carbon footprint per passenger and is aided by ultra-lightweight seats.
- Jazeera has a high fleet utilization rate, exceeding the common LCC.
Like many airlines across the industry, Jazeera Airways has significantly ramped up its capability this 12 months as air travel returned to full swing. Easy Flying recently had the chance to speak with Jazeera Airways CEO Rohit Ramachandran about its fleet and future.
Jazeera comfortable with all-economy A320s
The Kuwaiti carrier has only ever flown Airbus A320-family aircraft throughout its 18-year history, starting with the A320-200 in 2005 before welcoming its first A320neo in 2018. Notably, its planes are in an all-economy configuration, with the airline eschewing premium seating to maximise its passenger count (although it could install business seats on the front of the cabin if desired).
Ramachandran said,
Photo: Tom Boon | Easy Flying
Its all-economy strategy can be vital in one other respect – sustainability. Filling its planes with more people helps the airline lower its carbon footprint per passenger – this has also been aided by installing ultra-lightweight seats across its fleet, helping it cut 1,200kg of weight per aircraft. The airline is being proactive in pursuing sustainable operations, releasing its first sustainability report – “Flying Green – a Step Towards Sustainable Aviation” – earlier this summer.
High fleet utilization
Jazeera narrowbodies workhorses operate at one in all the best fleet utilization rates on the planet, averaging around 14 and a half hours per day. In keeping with Ramachandran, this puts the airline among the many top three airlines globally and is significantly higher than the common European LCC.
To place this into perspective, Ryanair, known for its high fleet utilization and rapid turnover times, flies its Boeing 737s a mean of around 13 hours every day.
CEO and NEO fleet
Jazeera became the primary operator of the A320neo within the Gulf in 2018, with the next-generation aircraft fitting nicely to its existing A320ceo fleet. The commonality between the 2 aircraft proved key, enabling pilots trained on one type to transition to the opposite easily. As for the neo’s superior economics, it has been performing as expected. Ramachandran said,
Photo: Jazeera Airways
The airline hasn’t been impacted by the continued Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine issues, which is able to cause a whole lot of A320neo-family aircraft worldwide to be faraway from service for engine inspections and fixes. Jazeera had a superb 2022 despite the industry challenges – posting a record yearly profit of $65.7 million – and oversaw a 41% increase in passengers and 26% higher revenues year-on-year in the primary half of 2023.
How often do you fly with Jazeera Airways? Do you like flying on an Airbus A320ceo or an A320neo? Tell us within the comments.