KUWAIT CITY, June 9: The official spokesperson of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Eng Saad Al-Otaibi says DGCA has completed a plan to resume commercial flights at Kuwait International Airport, specifying the responsibilities of passengers and air transportation companies, and the nature of the logistical work of government and private agencies operating at the airport.

In a press statement, Eng Al-Otaibi explained the most prominent points of the plan, which will focus in general on activating automated self-services for passengers as per the standards endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

These automated services include the presence of devices to issue boarding passes, automated procedures for handling luggage, and using technical means and devices to verify flight tickets without having to directly deal with passengers, as well as urging and encouraging commercial stores to use electronic payment services and reducing cash handling, in addition to avoiding people from waiting inside the stores to prevent crowding.

The plan includes introducing separate pathways for departure and arrival passengers which will start from the parking lots and go through up to the immigration desks and customs inspection area. Also, passengers will undergo body temperature tests prior to entering the airport and before boarding the plane.

Eng Al-Otaibi indicated that commercial flights will gradually resume at the rate of 30 percent, and flights will be scheduled with a time gap of no less than an hour apart in order to enable sterilization of all areas before the next flight and guarantee the protection of passengers and employees at the airport.

He explained the preventive measures that will be applied after the return of air traffic include the need for passengers to be at the airport at least three hours before the flight. They should adhere to health precautions such as wearing masks and gloves.

These two measures are the most important requirements that would allow passengers to leave through the airport. Another measure is to prevent people from accompanying or waiting for passengers at both the arrival and departure halls except those accompanying the elderly and people with special needs.

Eng Al-Otaibi noted that the plan guarantees smooth flow of passenger traffic by applying preventive measures and social distancing policies to prevent any congestion at intersections during the entry or exit of passengers at the gates, ensuring presence of sterilization devices in every area of the airport, and setting signs on the ground to ensure social distancing in the passenger line-up areas as well as in the waiting and sitting locations.

He said, “Glass barriers will also be installed on all counters of the airport corridors to provide protection for both the staff and passengers. Smooth traffic during boarding and disembarking the plane will be ensured while adhering to both health and safety measures.” Eng Al-Otaibi affirmed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is currently studying the launch of new services which would contribute to maintaining smooth flow of traffic inside the airport without the congestion of arrivals at the luggage hall, adding that one such service is the transportation of luggage to passengers’ homes under the supervision of the airlines companies.