Civil Aviation Authority Signs $18.6 Million Contract with British Firm to Operate and Develop Airport Navigation Services
KUNA: The Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) signed a contract with the British company NATS Services for the operation, management, monitoring, and control of maintenance, improvements, and development of air navigation services at Kuwait International Airport, valued at 18.6 million Kuwaiti dinars (approximately $60 million) for a period of five years.
The contract was signed on the Kuwaiti side by the Chairman of PACA, Sheikh M. Hamoud Al-Mubarak, and on behalf of the British company by Managing Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Global Services, Benjamin Leonard Howe, in the presence of the Acting Director General of PACA, M. Duaij Al-Otaibi, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Martin John Rolfe, and several officials from both sides.
Speaking to KUNA on the sidelines of the signing, M. Saad Al-Otaibi, Deputy Director General for Planning and Projects at the Civil Aviation Authority, stated that the contract is part of PACA’s strategy to develop air navigation services at Kuwait International Airport, under direct guidance from the political leadership and with close follow-up by Chairman Sheikh M. Hamoud Al-Mubarak. The aim is to enhance operational and managerial efficiency, train national personnel, and strengthen monitoring, maintenance follow-up, improvements, and development across various air navigation services.
Al-Otaibi added that the project involves operating, managing, and developing Kuwaiti air navigation services, as well as improving the design of airspace and air routes to meet the latest developments in Kuwait and the region, in compliance with the annexes of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
He clarified that the project also includes establishing a comprehensive system for air traffic management, managing and evaluating maintenance, and controlling all equipment and facilities. It further entails providing recommendations on rehabilitation and development plans, alongside training, qualifying, and enhancing the capabilities of human resources in the air navigation sector.
