New connections include Amsterdam, Venice, Munich, Nice, and Rome

Kuwait, 8 December 2010: Wataniya Airways, Kuwait’s only premium airline, today announced a further ten new European connections to its network allowing its guests to fly to a total of 29 European destinations from Kuwait via Vienna as part of the ongoing partnership with Austrian Airlines, Austria’s national carrier, that started in October 2010.

Wataniya Airways’ guests can enjoy hassle-free travel using a single ticket without the need to collect and recheck their baggage in Vienna to a variety of destinations across Europe.

Abdulsalam Al Bahar, Wataniya Airways Chairman and Managing Director: “We are very pleased to announce the extension of our interline agreement with Austrian Airlines to ten more major connections in Europe, taking our total to 29 cities across the continent.  The benefit to Wataniya Airways guests is that they can now simply check in their baggage at our excusive Sheikh Saad Terminal in Kuwait where it will be automatically routed through to their final European airport arrival destination without having to be rechecked at Vienna.  We are committed to delivering our guests the very best service possible and our code sharing agreement with Austrian Airlines is part of this effort.”

The agreement also includes guests travelling from Beirut to Vienna and onwards to other European cities, as well as for those wishing to travel from Vienna to Beirut and the Middle East.

Wataniya Airways operates three weekly flights between Vienna International Airport and their exclusive Sheikh Saad Terminal in Kuwait. The ten new connections the agreement adds to Wataniya Airways’ route network are: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bologna, Graz, Hamburg, Rome Fiumicino, Lyon, Munich, Nice and Venice.

From Kuwait, guests wishing to travel on Wataniya Airways can book tickets by logging on to www.wataniyaairways.com or by calling the Kuwait Guest Contact Centre on 118 or +965 24379999, or by making a reservation through their preferred travel agent.

About Wataniya Airways

Wataniya Airways, Kuwait’s only premium service airline, commenced operations in January 2009 with point-to-point connections across the Middle East. Flying to numerous GCC, Arab, and European destinations with more destinations to follow, Wataniya Airways offers advantageous services and schedules geared to the specific demands of discerning travellers flying to and from Kuwait. Operating four A320 aircraft with only 122 seats, Wataniya Airways offers passengers more comfort and space than any other scheduled airline within the same aircraft class. BusinessFirst offers industry leading comfort, utility, dedicated business facilities and personal service, while Premium Economy delivers business class ease and comfort for economy guests. In Kuwait, Wataniya Airways operates from Sheikh Saad Terminal, delivering unprecedented levels of exclusivity, convenience, and efficiency on the ground to all its guests.
Visit www.wataniyaairways.com to find out more.

About Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is Austria’s largest carrier and offers a global route network of round 130 destinations. In Central and Eastern Europe, the route network is particularly dense: With 44 destinations Austrian Airlines is the market leader throughout the region. Thanks to its favourable geographical location at the heart of Europe, the company’s hub at Vienna International Airport is the ideal gateway between East and West. Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, Europe’s largest airline group, and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global alliance of international airlines.

For Media Information, please contact:
Dina Sabry
Account Manager
Hill & Knowlton Middle East
Tel: 00 965 22331 770
Email: Dina.Sabry@hillandknowlton.com

Jassim AlQames?Head of Public Relations ?Wataniya Airways?Tel: +965 24379900 Ext 206?Email: Jassim.alqames@wataniyaairways.com

Corporate Communications AUSTRIAN AIRLINES GROUP: Martin HEHEMANN / Patricia STRAMPFER / Michael BRAUN / Ursula BERGER; Tel: +43 (0) 51766 11231, martin.hehemann@austrian.com, patricia.strampfer@austrian.com, michael.braun@austrian.com, ursula.berger@austrian.com;

Owner, Editor, Reproducer: Austrian Airlines AG, Corporate Communications public.relations@austrian.com.
Please find further information concerning the disclosure according to §§ 24 and 25 Media Act on www.austrian.com