Jazeera Air 'won't hesitate' to open new base outside Kuwait if it gets right opportunity

Jazeera Airways will consider opening a new base outside its home in Kuwait if it finds the right opportunity, as the airline remains bullish on growth despite geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The low-cost airline is focused on developing new direct routes from Kuwait to capitalise on strong demand and diversifying travel segments to capture more leisure and religious traffic, Jazeera Airways' new chief executive Barathan Pasupathi told The National. "For the foreseeable next 12 to 18 months, we are going to be very focused on Kuwait. But if and when a hub opportunity comes along that is attractive for Jazeera and the wider growth of our network, we will not be hesitant to look into it," Pasupathi said. Jazeera Airways, which in March last year announced plans to start a low-cost airline in Saudi Arabia to be based at the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, has placed a bid for the licence and is optimistic about its chances. "We went through all the steps of a tendering process and completed the due diligence to establish a hub in Dammam, twice. We are still awaiting an official announcement," Pasupathi said. "We do believe we have the best credentials and have submitted the best plan but this is a tendering process so it can go either way." Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation did not respond to a request by The National for comment on the status of the bidding process.<br/>