Plan to open T2passenger terminal in 2023: Aviation chief

KUWAIT: President of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said yesterday that projects and air transport services sector in the country has witnessed great improvement during 2018 to support Kuwait's vision 2035 plan. Sheikh Salman noted that Kuwait, in the past 10 years, paid great attention to development of air transport infrastructure due to its substantial economic impact on air transport industry as well as improving airport efficiency which is considered a cultural facade. He added, to help materialize Kuwait's 2035 vision, the state has injected substantial investments over the last 10 years into aviation sector and plans to inject more in the next two decades. He said that DGCA applies security measures in accordance with international standards at airports, which gives priority of security a high degree of attention and care. He added that the Directorate inaugurated Terminal Four (T4) allocated for Kuwait Airways at Kuwait International Airport initially with the capacity of nearly 4.5 million passengers annually.

"A series of improvements in the main terminal (T1) at Kuwait International Airport during the summer season were implemented to provide the best services to passengers and facilitate their movement and overcome the congestion," he said. With regard to the new projects, Sheikh Salman said that in the coming period, two new runways, a new control tower with advanced systems, and the construction of a corridor to boost the capacity of Kuwait International Airport will see light. He unveiled a plan to open the new passenger terminal (T2) in 2023, which was designed according to world-class mega airports with a capacity of 25 million passengers annually. He explained that the project provides about 12,000 jobs for engineers, trained and qualified workers, especially for Kuwaiti youth, and will generate additional annual revenues for the state up to $300 million annually.

He pointed out that the development plan also included the operation of the first phase of the new cargo city at Kuwait International Airport on an area of three million square meters to be the largest in the Middle East. "The State of Kuwait is studying putting up a tender for setting up a new airport with capacity of 25 million passengers a year," Sheikh Salman said, adding "Kuwait will witness a rapid growth in passenger and cargo movement in the coming 20 years."

He forecasts that up to $12 billion would be invested in the new airport which would generate over 15,000 job openings and offer a great platform for high-qualify training for national cadres by specialized international experts. "To implement such ambitious plan, we would secure specialized international airport operation companies to operate Kuwait Airport terminals", he said. He also revealed that his department is studying to establish an aviation academy to meet the growing demand for pilots and maintenance technicians in Kuwait. - KUNA