Kuwait to increase airport capacity to 5,000 passengers a day from May 22

Kuwait City: Kuwait airport will increase its capacity to 5,000 passengers a day from May 22, the Director of the Air Transport Department at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA), Abdullah Al Rajdi, announced, local media reported.

Al Rajhi said that the COVID-19 Emergency Committee at the Ministry of Health agreed to the increase as they anticipate there will be more airline traffic during the summer season.

The airport has been operating on a 1,000 passenger cap per day for the past five months, since January 1.

Barred passengers

Non-Kuwaitis are still barred from entering Kuwait until further notice after the government issued a ban on February 7. Most recently, on Monday, the government announced that passengers arriving from Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are barred from entering Kuwait until further notice. Passengers are only allowed in if they quarantine in another country for at least 14 days.

Only vaccinated can travel

Last week, the government issued a decision that starting on May 22 all Kuwaitis, their first degree relatives and domestic workers are barred from travelling out of Kuwait unless they are vaccinated.

Kuwait’s Cabinet of Ministers issued a decision on Monday that starting on May 22 all Kuwaitis, their first degree relatives and domestic workers are barred from travelling out of Kuwait unless they are vaccinated.

Those who are permitted to travel are the following: (i) those who have got both doses and two weeks have passed since the second dose; (ii) those who have got one dose and five weeks have passed; and (iii) those who have got the first dose then got COVID-19 can travel two weeks after testing positive.

Children who are unable to take the vaccine due to their age are exempt from the decision.