Kuwait Airways receives the world's first A330-800

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA 

Image courtesy : Kuwait Airways

According to Simple Flying, Airbus delivered the first two A330-800s to Kuwait Airways. There are currently 14 orders for Airbus A330-800, while there are 318 orders for its brother model A330-900. Kuwait Airways has ordered a total of 8 A330-800s.

According to a press release seen on the Simple Flying website, the chairman of Kuwait Airways said, "Kuwait Airways is proud of its continued partnership with Airbus over the past 40 years. The introduction of new aircraft has strengthened Kuwait Airways' status as a regional and an important airline in the global aviation industry."

Kuwait Airways’ A330-800 aircraft will be able to carry 235 passengers and will be equipped with two cabins, including 32 business class seats and 203 economy class seats.

This delivery also marks the first delivery of A330-800, and Kuwait Airways has therefore become the launch user of A330-800. In addition to the 8 aircraft ordered by Kuwait Airways, Uganda Airlines also ordered 2 aircraft.

The main difference between the A330neo series aircraft is their size. The length of the A330-800 is 58.82 meters, while the length of the A330-900 is 63.66 meters. In the most densely packed case, the A330-800 can hold 406 passengers, while the A330-900 can hold 460 passengers. In 2018, the average selling price of Airbus A330-800 was US$259.9 million, and the price of A330-900 was US$296.4 million.