Airport operations expected to reach 100% next summer

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KUWAIT CITY, Apr 19: Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Eng. Yousef Al-Fawzan affirmed that Kuwait International Airport is currently operating at 60 percent of its operational capacity in terms of the number of planes and daily flights. However, the rate will reach 100 percent next summer, with life returning to normal after cancelation of the conditions for the closures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Al-Rai daily.

In an exclusive press statement issued on the sidelines of the Ghabga event organized by the Union of Travel and Tourism Offices on Sunday evening at the Four Seasons Hotel, Eng. Al-Fawzan explained that the DGCA has completed its preparations for the holidays and summer season by preparing emergency plans and activating full readiness for the travel season.

The airport is currently witnessing about 300 flights per day between departures and arrivals, but this number will increase to 500 per day during the summer.

DGCA took advantage of the gap during the COVID-19 pandemic to work on developing projects and infrastructure.

The completion of the new tower and the third runway is expected in the middle of the year 2023.

Regarding the radar project, Eng. Al-Fawzan said, “There are development projects in accordance with international requirements and laws. Without a doubt, the T2 terminal represents a quantum leap, as it accommodates 25 million passengers annually.

According to the programs of the Ministry of Public Works, it is expected to be completed in the middle of 2024”.

Eng. Al-Fawzan denied rumors about the delay of the project after the recent fire incident.

He stressed that the incident was minor, and did not delay the pre-planned program.

Eng. Al-Fawzan said, “We are keeping pace with all developments in the air transport market and are working towards establishing new airports. There will undoubtedly be a new airport in the future, but so far we have not taken a decision in this regard”.

Meanwhile, Head of the Union of Travel and Tourism Offices Mohammad Lafi Al-Mutairi said, “The civil aviation industry has been significantly affected by the repercussions of the pandemic for two whole years. The preliminary estimates of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicate that the expected losses during the three years from 2020 to 2023 reached almost $200 billion.

We are optimistic in terms of the numbers and statistics of the sales of tickets in the first three months of 2022, as they amounted to KD 82 million in all travel offices, at a rate of KD 27 million per month. This means that if the situation continues as it is until the end of the year, we will reach more than KD 320 million. In 2019, the total sales of travel offices were KD 312 million.

All indicators and numbers confirm that the current year will be better, if it is not like 2019. The average ticket price is currently about KD 125. In 2019, the rate was about KD 107 during this period. This means that, despite the pandemic and inflation, the prices are still affordable for everyone”.

Al-Mutairi concluded by highlighting the increase in the number of travel agencies, which was 432 in 2019 but has now reached 479, which indicates confidence in investment in this sector, adding that, “2022 will set records compared to the previous years”

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