Kuwait's new airline Wataniya Airways said it will commence its first flights to Dubai in February. Watanaiya said that it will operate two flights a day to and from the booming emirate and will later announce other destinations. It said that its parent company, Kuwait National Airways, will be listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange next month. The airline, the first premium private carrier in the oil-rich sheikhdom, has already signed deals to lease seven Airbus A-320 aircraft.

Oil-rich Kuwait already has a national carrier, Kuwait Airways, which is expected to be privatised next year. Jazeera Airways, a low-fare private airline, is also Kuwaiti.