KUWAIT: Passenger, commercial and cargo flights at Kuwait International Airport witnessed an increase in November, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said yesterday. Commercial flights accounted were for a 38-percent increase, while air cargo traffic came at 11 percent and passengers movement for 23 percent.

Total number of passengers, during November, stood at 671,458 compared to 547,817 passengers in the same month last year, with arriving passengers hitting the 319,949 mark, a 16-percent increase from the same period last year, and departing passengers coming to 351,509; a 30-percent increase from last year, DGCA said.

Overall number of planes to and from Kuwait International Airport throughout November was 8,532 flights, compared to 7,326 for same period last year.
Last month, Wataniya Airways launched it Jeddah route with four flights weekly, as well as increasing its flights to Cairo, Bahrain and Dubai, while Saudi Airlines operated additional flights for the pilgrimage (Hajj) season.

The Royal Jordanian Airlines increased weekly flights from and to Kuwait to reach nine, while Jazeera Airways operated additional flights to Eid holiday destinations such as Beirut, Sharm el-Sheikh and Mashhad, and so did Tunisair from and to Tunisia and Iranian Mahan Air from and to Mashhad. Air cargo traffic significantly increased-some 17 million kilograms last month, it noted. --- KUNA