EVENDALE, Ohio - GE Aircraft Engines and Kuwait Airways are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their very successful relationship. Kuwait Airways became a GE customer at the end of the Gulf War and, today, operates a fleet of 17 CF6, CFM56*, and GE90-powered aircraft.Kuwait Airways Corporation, the national carrier of Kuwait, is one of the premier airlines in the Middle East and has an outstanding record of reliability and operational excellence. Over the past 10 years, the airline has successfully met the challenge of rebuilding itself after the devastation of the Gulf War.In 1991, Kuwait Airways recommenced revenue service with leased CF6-80C2-powered Airbus A310 wide-body aircraft. Two years later, the airline took delivery of -80C2-powered Airbus A300-600 and A310-300 aircraft. Today, its fleet includes five A300-600s, three A310-300, and two GE90-powered Boeing 777-200's. Kuwait Airways also operates three Airbus A320-200s and four Airbus A340-300s powered by CFM56-5 engines.The GE/CFM engines in service with Kuwait Airways have achieved better than average reliability ratings over the past 10 years. The CF6-80C2 engines have logged more than 429,000 flight hours while maintaining a 99.97 percent dispatch reliability rating and have not experienced a single in-flight shutdown. These are significant statistics given the harsh desert environment in which the aircraft must operate. The GE90-powered 777s entered service at Kuwait Airways in 1998. To date, the fleet has logged more than 40,000 flight hours with a 99.93 percent dispatch reliability rate and zero in-flight shutdowns. In 1992, the airline took delivery of its first CFM56-5-powered A320s and added A340s in 1995. To date, this fleet has accumulated nearly 500,000 flight hours with a 99.91 percent dispatch reliability rate."We are very proud of the relationship GE and CFM have built with Kuwait Airways over the past 10 years," said Muhammed Al-Lamadani, Sales General Manager for GE Aircraft Engines. "It is highly gratifying when an airline of this stature puts its confidence in your people and your products. We're also proud to have been a part of this great airline's renewal after a truly devastating time in its history and look forward with great anticipation to our future relationship." * CFM56 engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs of France and GE.