Airport Show: Kuwait airport development gets go-ahead

Projects Director Mahdi Al-Dekheel said the Directorate has finalised contracts and specifications to implementing first and second phase of the airport development projects. The projects include the development and extension of the western runway, constructing roads for taxiing, parking areas for aircraft, building new headquarters for the Directorate, as well as building two fire stations.

Al-Dekheel said the call for tenders has now been made and the Directorate will be assessing the bids, He also spoke about placing a bid for a third phase, which will include the construction of a third runway and its facilities, in addition to infrastructure services.

According to the Arab Times newspaper, the development will also include other public-private partnership opportunities such as hotels, heavy-duty aircraft maintenance facilities, fuel stations, and facilities of aircraft supply as well as new cargo buildings, which would be able to handle up to two million tons every year.

Al-Dekheel said construction of the Amiri Lounge and facilities for Kuwait Aviation Fuel Company (KAFCO) were underway. The Civil Aviation Directorate aims at modernising Kuwait International Airport to improve services and increase capacity in terms of number of flights and passengers, said the official, adding that special emphasis was given to improving runways to be able to receive the Airbus A-380 and the Beoing 747-800. He also said the Directorate would build a new terminal to increase the airport’s passenger capacity from seven million to more than 20 million every year.