Q8NRI.com

Kuwait: Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Dr. Fadhel Safar Ali Safar on Thursday signed an agreement on the project to launch a new terminal at Kuwait International Airport. "The new air terminal aims to accommodate the growing number of passengers to and from the airport and meet the future needs," he noted.

The project, involving investments of KD 27 million, is one of the vital developments projects on the agenda of the government, Safar said in a joint press conference with Minister of Communication and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr. Mohammad Mohsen Al-Busairi after the signing ceremony.

"The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made marathon efforts to prepare for this major project in coordination with the Ministry of Public Works and the private sector," the minister pointed out.

"The construction works will take five years as from the starting time to complete," Safar revealed.

He noted that the enforcement of the government’s action plan was a shared responsiblity for the state departments, the private sector, the civil socity institutions and mass media.

"The private sector plays an essential role in the development of key projects, creating job opportunities for the youths and offsetting the state expenditutures, so law-makers have to facilitate the legislations controling its activities," he urged.

"The government plan envisages capitalizing on the positive spirit of the private sector and the civil society institutions and involving them in the major developmen projects," the minister underscored. "The government restructuring program envisages launching a new airport to the north of Kuwait City. The cabinet decided to maintain the current location of Kuwait airport and expand it to enhance its occupancy rate, pending further studies on the new airport and the air traffics in cordination with the DGCA," he revealed.

"Pursuant to the cabinet decision, the Municipal Council and the Ministry of Public Works, in its capacity as the main developer of key state projects, started the expansion works at Kuwait International Airport," Safar went on to say.

He noted that the door was open for private companies to coordinate with his ministry and vie for projects to be cast by the Centeral Tenders Committee.
Meanwhile, Al-Bussairi hailed the signing of the agreement on the designs and supervision of the development of the new air terminal project as a landmark event in the history of the airport as it will expand the airport’s occupancy rate to some 20 million passengers a year.

"The project is part of the government’s development plan approved recently by the National Assembly," he said.

"The plan also envisages also the expansion of two airstrips at the airport, and a cargo city which will be the largest of its kind in the Middle East" Al-Bussairi disclosed.

"The implementation of the planned projects and the cargo city will contribute greately to grand target of Kuwait’s transformation into a major international financial and commercial hub by 2035," the minister affirmed.

"His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah attributes great importance to the realization of the five-year development plan at a shorter span of time," he added.

Dealing with the privatization of Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) , Al-Busairi said the tendency would not be negatively affected by the activities of KAC’s fact-finding panel.

"On the contrary, the panel’s work will facilitate the privatization policy, " he affirmed.

Al-Busairi commended the current cooperation between the country’s executive and legislative authorities which led to the adoption of the privatization act and the new Central Tenders Committee’s act.
KUNA