Kuwait's Aviation Lease & Finance Co. (Alafco) plans to double its aircraft fleet to 100 by 2018, and is in negotiations with Airbus for a new order, its chairman said Monday. "The first part of our plan was to reach a fleet of 50 aircraft, and we are almost there ... now our plan is to reach 100 aircraft by 2018," Ahmad Al-Zabin told the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit in Kuwait. He added that Alafco was in talks with Airbus over a new order. "We are in negotiations with Airbus to increase the last order, and any outcome will be announced at the Dubai Airshow in November," Zabin said. At the Paris Airshow in June, Alafco signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase 30 A320neo family aircraft, worth a total of $2.7 billion at list prices. The firm has a fleet of 48 aircraft, 27 of which are Airbus, and the rest Boeing, Zabin said. "Among the companies we lease to are Saudi Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Jordanian, and Ethiopian Airlines," he added. Zabin said the firm expected to post "record" profits for the fiscal year that ended September 30, from one-off gains. It made a net profit of 10.8 million dinars ($39.2 million) in 2010. Kuwait Finance House and state-owned Kuwait Airways are Alafco's biggest shareholders.
