KUWAIT: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is planning to construct a new runway and seven new gates at Kuwait International Airport (KIA) , along with a number of new parking places for aircraft and a massive new cargo hangar.

DGCA chairman Fawaz Al-Farah announced the directorate's plans on Thursday, saying that the creation of the seven new gates, bringing the total at the airport to 17, would increase KIA's departure capacity by 70 percent. The construction work is expected to be completed by the end of this year, he said.

Al-Farah also spoke about the controversy over Kuwait Airways Corporation's (KAC) ageing fleet of aircraft, emphasizing that the planes' maintenance is carried out to international standards with no defects being found, reported Al-Qabas.

The airline's and other Kuwaiti carriers' planes have undergone the routine maintenance checks at airports around the world, with no complaints of problems or operational delays due to technical troubles, he added. - Kuwait Times