Kuwait has suspended commercial flights from 31 countries including India on the advice of health authorities, just as the Gulf state re-opened its airport to such operations. While other flights will resume, countries on the barred list include Iran, China, Brazil, Lebanon, Spain, Singapore, Egypt and Sri Lanka, besides India, Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
Kuwait suspended commercial flights from 31 countries on the advice of health authorities, just as the Gulf state re-opened its airport to such operations. The airport resumed commercial flights on Saturday as part of a phased re-opening after a five-month suspension when the country imposed measures to control the spread of the coronavirus. It plans to reach full capacity by mid-2021.
For India, the move is likely to affect repatriation of Indians in the gulf nation. Indian airline authorities said that the situation remained “dynamic and evolving”, especially with different countries having different travel rules. A transport bubble agreement was signed with Kuwait to rescue stranded passengers both to/from India, but that may now be affected with Kuwait banning flights until further notice.
Kuwait, which has recorded nearly 67,000 coronavirus cases and more than 400 deaths, began a five-phase plan at the start of June to gradually lift restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. A partial curfew remains in place. The Kuwait health ministry on Saturday, August 1, reported 491 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 593 recoveries.