Leakage of fuel from vehicle onboard Kuwait Airways flight was minimal
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No case of suffocation registered
KUWAIT CITY, Aug 28: Minister of Finance Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf says the leakage of fuel from a car that was sent as cargo on a Kuwait Airways passenger plane was due to an accidental fault that can be deemed as minimal, reports Al- Qabas daily.
In response to a parliamentary question posed by MP Khalil Al- Saleh regarding the incident, Dr Al- Hajraf affirmed that no case of suffocation was registered even though the smell of the fuel was intense, as the fuel had leaked into the passengers’ cabin, forcing the pilot to turn back to Kuwait.
He insisted that Kuwait Airways does not carry any hazardous substances including vehicles without ensuring all necessary procedures have been taken completely as per the IATA protocol. Dr Al-Hajraf said, “These protocols are applicable from the time Kuwait Airways receives the car until it is placed onboard its flight after ensuring there are no leakages or damages. This is based on its keenness to uphold the safety of the passengers and the cabin crew”.
He explained that, according to vehicle freight regulations, such cargo must be handled in accordance with the hazardous substance manual of Kuwait Airways. It should contain fuel of quantity less than quarter of the vehicle’s fuel capacity. All these were checked in line with the checklist attached to the cargo, which also showed the vehicle did not exceed the permitted fuel limit.
Dr Al-Hajraf concluded his response by reiterating their keenness for upholding the safety of the passengers, cabin crew and the aircraft, revealing that the concerned authorities issued a circular on Jun 13 to declare that vehicles which do not contain fuel in their tanks will be permitted as cargo, in line with the regulations of IATA and Kuwait Airways.
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