COVID-19: 92,000 expats left Kuwait in three months
Expats include residents, violators of residency regulations who left aboard 600 flights
Dubai: More than 92,000 expatriates left Kuwait in April, May and June through Kuwait International Airport, Al Rai Newspaper reported citing Mansour Al Hashimi, Director of Operations at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) at Kuwait International Airport.
Al Hashimi said the expats included residents in addition to violators of residency regulations who left aboard 600 flights.
According to the Kuwaiti official, once the administration receives a request from a country or an embassy desperate to operate flights to repatriate their citizens, the administration grants its approval within 24 hours.
He stressed that since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, only commercial passenger flights stopped operating while those scheduled to repatriate citizens were permitted to use the airport.
“Since the beginning of COVID-19 crisis, commercial cargo flights carrying food and medical supplies continued as usual,” Al Hashimi said, adding that the evacuation trips for foreign residents resumed fleetingly afterwards.
He pointed out that Kuwait International Airport fully complies with the World Health Organisation safety instructions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and ensure the safety of the passengers.
Al Hashimi explained the airport administration is awaiting instructions to begin operating flights, in accordance with the schedule assembled by the Kuwaiti Supreme Committee.