Kuwait to levy overflight fees as of Thursday

The General Directorate for Civil Aviation Chairman Fawaz Abdulaziz Al-Farah announced that the Directorate will start collecting overflight fees from civilian planes using Kuwaiti airspace as of Thursday, January 1.
Al-Farah told KUNA that most world countries collect these tariffs in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) policies.
He noted that the ministerial decree No. 100 of 2014, issued on 18 December, determined the value of fees at KD 40 for a plane that uses the Kuwaiti airspace.
The decree has excluded the planes which are making flights starting from and ending at Kuwait International Airport, he said.
Al-Farah pointed out that the levying of the new charges goes in harmony with the government approach to diversify and increase national income sources.
The charges are collected for benefiting from the air navigation services provided by Kuwait International Airport to planes flying over Kuwait, he stated.
He disclosed that the decree exempts from paying the overflight charges planes of the UN organizations, international and regional organizations and official delegations, provided that the Kuwaiti official delegations' planes are equally treated from their countries.
Also exempted from paying the tariffs are planes of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the international Red Crescent society, humanitarian and relief organizations, Kuwaiti government and foreign governments on condition of reciprocal treatment, as well as military aircraft and civilian planes providing military services, he said.