Issue of assigning pilots, engineers and aircraft crew to evacuate citizens from virus-hit nations technical: KAC

KUWAIT CITY, March 24: Chairperson of Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) Yousef Al-Jassem, affirmed that the issue of assigning pilots, engineers and aircraft crew to evacuate citizens from the countries affected by coronavirus is technical, adding the issue is being discussed with the Ministry of Health, reports Al-Qabas daily.

In a statement, Al-Jassem added that institutional or domestic quarantine or continuation of the work of aircraft crew is a decision in the hands of the health authorities, which is the first controller of the course of events and procedures related to coronavirus – for the health and benefit of citizens and expatriates.

He emphasized that pilots, engineers and aircraft crew at Kuwait Airways are committed to all safety measures, including wearing of gloves and masks and knowing the methods of dealing and interacting with passengers, as aircraft are subject to comprehensive sterilization amid constant replacement of air filters and air-condition filters to preserve the health of passengers and aircraft crew.

Al-Jassem said the issue of pilots and staff is a detailed technical agenda of health authorities, focused on studying the possibility that they may initiate institutional or domestic quarantine of aircraft crew for two weeks, and thus delay the evacuation periods until the quarantined ones return to work.

Al-Jassem also pointed out that Kuwait Airways Corporation is always ready through technical and administrative work teams to evacuate citizens whenever they are assigned to go by the government, especially in light of directives and interest of the political leadership and speedup their return to the homeland.

He reiterated that Kuwait Airways Corporation is still waiting for government’s decision to evacuate Kuwaiti families stranded outside Kuwait, saying: “We are ready and fully prepared; we are only waiting for the green light”.