Kuwait to resume commercial flights from August

DUBAI - Kuwait will partially resume commercial flights from August, but does not expect to reach full capacity until a year later, the civil aviation authority said, as its aviation sector gradually recovers from a suspension sparked by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) detailed the three-phase plan late on Monday after the government said commercial flights at Kuwait International Airport, suspended since March, would restart on August 1 at 30% capacity.

The DGCA said that would involve a maximum of 100 flights and 10,000 passengers a day.

The second stage, starting next February, will see capacity increase to 60% to handle a maximum of 20,000 passengers and 200 flights daily.

Full capacity will commence on August 1 next year, when Kuwait International, the Gulf Arab state's only civil airport, could handle 30,000 passengers and 300 flights a day.

Kuwait, which has recorded more than 45,520 COVID-19 cases with 350 deaths, initiated a five-phase plan at the start of June to gradually lift restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. A partial curfew remains in place.