Kuwait’s aviation authority seeks $20bln investment within 5 years

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NATO-ICI Regional Center launches annual meet

RIYADH, Oct 1, (KUNA): Kuwait plans to ratchet up investments of up to $20 billion in the aviation sector within the next few years, its Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on Monday. The plan fits into a development strategy the Gulf state has devised for the year 2035, the chairman of Kuwait’s aviation authority Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah told the press on the sidelines of a meeting involving the region’s aviation safety body.

He pinpointed flight safety as an integral factor that contributes to the development of the aviation industry, citing the Regional Safety Oversight Organization in the Middle East and North Africa as a prominent body that has the support of many Arab nations.

On the aviation industry in the region, the Kuwaiti official said that tremendous progress has been made despite the growing challenges facing that sector. He went on to say that the growth of the tourism industry, which is a core component of any development plan, could help prop up the aviation sector in the Middle East.

Furthermore, Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) has launched a new customer service through WhatsApp and telephone number 22200171. In a press statement, Director of Public Relations and Information Department at KAC Fayez Al-Anzi explained the new service aims to enhance communication with customers and save their time and effort.

He added the service includes receiving complaints, suggestions and comments as well as reservations, rectifying reservations and issuing plane tickets; indicating that the service is available 24/7. In another development, The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) Regional Center in Kuwait held the annual meeting to review the performance of the center during its first 2017-2018 period and to plan future events.

The meeting tackled several programs including the Maritime Security program, Cyber-security, Emergency and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Accidents, NATO-ICI center said in a statement Sunday.

Head of the Information and Security Surveillance Sector, Sheikh Fawaz Mishal Al-Sabah, said during the meeting that the objectives of the center were achieved during the first year, which includes increasing the participation of the ICI to include Saudi Arabia and Oman. He added that the center seeks to exchange experiences to develop the fields of defense and security. For his part, Head of NATO’s Middle East and North Africa Section Nicola de Santis praised the center’s performance in the first year.

Established in January 2017, NATO-ICI serves as an entity dedicated to the stability of the region and the world. The aim of the center is to build bridges of cooperation between NATO and allies, especially GCC countries.

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