Cairo: Kuwait will allow foreigners who are closely related to Kuwaitis to enter the country even if they come from the 31 countries from which flights are currently banned, a Kuwaiti aviation official has said.
Earlier this month, Kuwait announced banning entry of travellers from 31 “high-risk” countries until further notice on instructions from Kuwaiti health authorities.
“Airlines operating at the Kuwait International Airport are directed to allow entry of non-Kuwaiti passengers who have a first-degree relation with a Kuwaiti citizen such as the father, the mother, husband, wife and children coming from the 31 countries,” Saad Al Otaibi, the spokesman for Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), told Al Anba newspaper.
The official added that domestic workers with valid residency permits and who are accompanied by their sponsors are allowed entry into Kuwait too.
On August 1, the DGCA announced the ban on the 31 countries including India, Pakistan, Egypt, and the Philippines that have large communities of expatriates in Kuwait.
The decision was announced hours after the Kuwait International Airport reopened for commercial flights after a halt of over four months, at 30 per cent of its normal capacity.
A total of 17,823 passengers, including 10,975 departing travellers, have since used the airport, according to the DGCA spokesman.
“The number of departing flights during that period totalled 128 flights while those arriving [in Kuwait] were 131,” he added.
In June, the Kuwaiti government approved a three-stage plan to resume commercial flights in and out of Kuwait starting August 1.
Around 100 flights with maximum 10,000 passengers per day are allowed in the first phase of reoperation.
In the second phase starting on February 1 for six more months, the Kuwait Airport will reoperate at 60 per cent of its normal capacity.
The expected numbers of passengers in that phase are not to exceed 20,000 per day on a maximum number of flights of 200.
The third beginning in August next year will mark return to full capacity.
