Hygiene crisis at T1 terminal

KUWAIT CITY, July 29: The hygiene crisis at Kuwait International Airport’s Terminal T1 has resurfaced again, threatening to turn the country’s facade and airport into a hotbed of neglect, especially at the height of the summer vacation and congestion, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to official documents and correspondence, the cleaning contract signed with a company expired on July 25 and has not been renewed yet.

The cleaning company at Kuwait International Airport threatened to hand over the site and withdraw its machinery and equipment due to the expiry of its current contract and the failure to notify it about the extension of the contract, in addition to the failure to settle its financial dues. Meanwhile, informed sources reported that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had addressed the control agencies, including the State Audit Bureau, on January 13, to extend the contract with the company at a value of KD 805,000.

The operating agencies are still awaiting approvals. They affirmed their criticism of the non-renewal of the cleaning contract, insisting that not issuing a decision in this regard is illogical in light of the travel season and the open-skies policy that requires an integrated plan to provide all services at the airport. In an official address indicating the aggravation of the crisis, the cleaning company had hinted at handing over the site and leaving it completely due to the expiry of its current contract on July 25, stressing that it had not been notified of the extension. According to a letter, the cleaning company contracting with the DGCA submitted a letter on July 11 regarding following up the grievance regarding non-payment of due invoices and imposing discounts for the contract for cleaning work at Kuwait International Airport.

Contract
It said, “With reference to our previous letters to you regarding the expiry of the extension period for the airport cleaners’ contract, as well as the grievance over non-payment of due invoices and the imposition of discounts for the same contract, as well as the letter on submitting a price offer to renew the contract, we did not receive any response from the DGCA, especially with the end of the contract period.”

The company stressed the need to lift the injustice inflicted on them and work to pay the bills due without calculating any deductions. It highlighted its willingness to continue providing the required services. The company specified its requirements to continue providing services in the event that the due bills are paid in full and without any deductions before July 25, notifying them officially by a written letter of approval of the price offer and the extension of the contract. It said, “We previously submitted a price offer as a gesture of goodwill, but this offer is not considered an implicit acceptance on our part to extend the contract. This matter remains dependent on the airport management implementing our requirements to continue providing services.”

Letter
On July 18, the company submitted another letter regarding handing over the site and withdrawing the machinery and equipment for the cleaning contract. It said the DGCA did not initiate the payment of the value of the outstanding invoices to date, adding, “Since we have not received any written notification from DGCA indicating approval to extend the current contract, which expired on July 25, according to the price offer, we call for instructions to be given to the concerned authorities to facilitate the process of withdrawing all the machinery and equipment used in the project.” It demanded the full settlement of their dues as soon as possible.

The cleaning company stated that it is related to other projects, so it has stopped renewing the residence permits of workers registered on the airport contract as of June 1, 2023. It indicated that it is currently registering them on other government contracts, in preparation for evacuating and handing over the sites handed over to them, in the event that the invoices are not paid and the contract is not renewed according to the legal procedures followed.