Boeing (BOE, Washington National) is to send a team to Kuwait this week to try and convince Kuwait Airways (KU, Kuwait) to include its planes in its fleet renewal plans. The Kuwaiti national carrier has already announced plans for a USD3billion deal with European manufacturer Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) to purchase ten A350-900s, with options for five A350-1000s, and fifteen A320neo with options for either five A320neos or five A321neos. The new jets are scheduled to be delivered from 2019. However, local media claims Kuwait Airways is still negotiating with the Europeans and has opened talks with the Americans following a recent visit by U.S. Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry. It is not clear whether Kuwait Airways is considering signing deals with both manufacturers or selecting only one. The move comes at a time when the Gulf state is attempting to privatize the airline with government planning to retain a 20% stake, 5% going to airline employees, 35% would be opened to various local and international investor firms while the remaining 40% would go to Kuwaiti citizens.