KUWAIT: The Kuwait General Administration of Civil Aviation signed on Wednesday with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Portugal a bilateral agreement and a new memorandum of understanding aimed at updating bilateral arrangements and regulating air operations between them in the field of civil aviation.

The acting Director General of Civil Aviation and head of Kuwait delegation to these discussions, Imad Al-Jalawi, explained in a telephone call with KUNA that the agreement includes the rules for operating national airlines and takes into account the continued growth in air transport traffic for passengers and cargo.

Al-Jalawi said the agreement is consistent with updating the administration’s open sky policy and strategy to encourage international airlines to increase their flights to and from Kuwait International Airport to enhance the movement of passengers and air cargo.

He stated that it is important to connect Kuwait International Airport to the largest number of international airports through a global network of airlines, adding that the agreement enhances air transport movement in addition to encouraging trade exchange between the two countries. It also provides new and diverse options for serving passengers between the two countries and meets the requirements of national air carriers.

Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Republic of Portugal, Hamad Al-Hazeem, in a similar statement to KUNA, praised the importance of such agreements in the field of air services that contribute to strengthening economic and tourism relations between the two friendly countries. Al-Hazeem said that the agreement comes as part of strengthening and developing joint cooperation between the State of Kuwait and the Republic of Portugal within the general framework of cooperation in a number of important fields. — KUNA