Jazeera Airways enjoys healthy growth in Middle East regional traffic

Jazeera Airway's regional focus continues to pay dividends for the carrier, with passenger traffic up 7% in May-2013. The airline has seen "significant passenger pick-up" in May on a number of its most important regional routes, even in the face of heavy competition from both LCCs and regional widebody operators. Strong growth was reported on routes to Dubai, Beirut, Amman, Jeddah, Cairo, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut and Sohag during the month.

Jazeera's network covers 19 routes in 11 countries, concentrated on the Middle East with most destinations within two hours flight time of its Kuwait hub. Unlike LCC contemporaries in the Gulf region such as flydubai and Air Arabia, the company is concentrating on yield first and growth second. Jazeera aims to maximise profit on its existing sectors on a quarter to quarter basis, rather than trail breaking new markets and expanding its network coverage. This involves increasing frequencies on its highest-demand and most profitable routes, gradually building load factors and raising yield levels.