‘Bubiyan’ seen on the tarmac upon arrival at Kuwait Airport on May 20.

KUWAIT CITY, May 20: Following the Transfer-of-Title (ToT) being signed at the Boeing factory in Everett, WA, on Monday, May 15; Kuwait Airways, the official national carrier of the State of Kuwait, has today welcomed the arrival of its seventh 777-300ER aircraft, at Kuwait International Airport.The latest addition to Kuwait Airways’ fleet, flew the 15 hours direct from Seattle, WA, with non-commercial passengers on board including the airline’s new Chairman Sami Fahad Al-Rushaid.As with all of Kuwait Airways’ new Boeings, the latest aircraft carrying the airline’s new livery — as revealed in October 2016. In addition, as with many of the new 777-300ER aircraft, the seventh has been named after a Kuwaiti island. In this case, No. 7 becomes “Bubiyan” — named after the largest in Kuwait’s coastal island chain.The new addition takes Kuwait Airways’ operational fleet up to 26 and is further proof of the airline’s commitment to improving its on-board product offering, seat capacity and increasing frequencies across its 38-destination international network.While “Bubiyan” will undergo a few days of final testing before entering full-time service, it is understood that the new aircraft’s maiden commercial flight is most likely to be to Cairo or Jeddah, although this is yet to be confirmed.“Today is yet another proud moment and significant milestone on Kuwait Airways’ journey of transformation as we progress towards the goals — and implement the corresponding aircraft acquisition strategy — set out in the comprehensive, five-year plan, announced in September 2016,” said Ebrahim Al-Khuzam, CEO, Kuwait Airways.“With the Kuwaiti Government clearly aligned and in full support of ensuring the ongoing and future success of the official national carrier, we are pleased to note a continuing trend of a return in passenger confidence. This has been reflected in the increasing number of passengers coming over to Kuwait Airways — numbers well above the regional average growth rates,” Al-Khuzam added.“On the other hand, there is also a growing realisation of the importance the official national carrier of Kuwait can have on the long-term economic strategy of the country — for trade, commerce, tourism and much more,” he concluded.Kuwait Airways’ aircraft acquisition plan also includes the 25 Airbus aircraft on order; the first of which are set to be delivered from 2019.This new Airbus fleet will include 15 A320neo and 10 from the A350 family of aircraft. The airline’s new Boeing and Airbus aircraft are all expected to be in full commercial service by 2022.