The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation is progressing with the development of the Air Cargo City project on the 3-million-square-meter area within the Kuwait International Airport. This ambitious endeavor seeks to elevate Kuwait International Airport’s status to become one of the premier logistics hubs in the Middle East and North Africa region. Reliable sources have disclosed that the DGCA has engaged in a series of meetings over recent weeks with various governmental bodies, including the government performance monitoring agency, representatives from the Ministry of Finance, and advisors from the Fatwa and Legislation Department.These discussions are aimed at finalizing the necessary documents for the project’s execution, including the selection process for a global operator. It is anticipated that the requisite approvals from pertinent authorities will be secured within the coming two months. Insiders have indicated that several government entities responsible for technical oversight are leaning towards entrusting the completion and operation of the cargo city to Chinese firms, citing their extensive expertise in this domain. This inclination is reinforced by recent bilateral visits and agreements between Kuwait and the People’s Republic of China. In a related development, a document in this regard underscores the DGCA’s insistence on structuring the cargo city project as a public auction, deeming it beneficial for public interest. The administration has meticulously prepared the necessary auction documents and is poised to proceed with the tendering process, having invested considerable time, effort, and resources.The document highlights that the Fatwa and Legislation Department has rendered an opinion, deeming it permissible for the DGCA to offer the Air Cargo City project by Ministry of Finance Circular 4 of 1997 about government auctions, within the framework of its discretionary authority. The document indicated that the components of the air cargo city project, which is scheduled to be built on an area of 3 million square meters in the Kuwait International Airport area, will include the construction of government buildings and facilities — customer service center; multistorey parking building; government agencies inspectors building; medical quarantine building, laboratories and examinations; buildings and security entry and exit gates and infrastructure services, including roads, parking lots, lighting, electricity, water, sewage, rain, and communications.The document elaborates that the General Administration of Civil Aviation, under the mandate issued by the Council of Ministers and in coordination with relevant authorities including the Ministry of Finance, is empowered to surmount any obstacles hindering the implementation of the Air Cargo City project at Kuwait International Airport. In line with the opinion of the Fatwa and Legislation Department, it is tasked with expediting the project’s progress and streamlining administrative procedures to expedite its timely completion. (ICE KUWAIT)

Fonte notizia: ARAB TIMES