Manama: Kuwait on Wednesday closed its airport to planes arriving into the country until weather conditions improve, officials said.
A sandstorm has hit the country and reduced visibility to less than 300 metres, the minimum required for planes to land, Mohammad Al Thaweeni, acting head of operations at the airport, told Kuwait News Agency (Kuna). Planes are being diverted to airports in neighbouring countries.
However, planes were allowed to depart from the airport where the minimum visibility required for outbound flights is 150 metres, the agency said.
The education ministry said that all schools would remain shut to ensure the safety of students while the University of Kuwait said that it had suspended classes.
Last month, a massive sandstorm engulfed the emirate in minutes and brought life to a standstill. Four people were killed during the ‘desert tsunami.”
Kuwait has also temporarily halted oil export operations, a spokesman for the oil sector said on Wednesday.
Kuwait Oil Company, the state-owned firm that produces the bulk of Kuwait's crude, has halted all crude oil exports but its drilling operations have not been affected, Shaikh Talal Al Khaled Al Ahmad Al Sabah said in a statement sent to journalists.
Kuwait National Petroleum Company, which operates the Gulf Arab state's refineries, has also temporarily stopped exports and some refinery maintenance work. Supplies to local customers have not been disrupted.
