Kuwait’s government to halt all air services indefinitely

Kuwait’s government has suspended all flights to and from the emirate from 13 March. The suspension over the coronavirus outbreak will remain in effect “until further notice”, the government has declared. Only Kuwaiti citizens and their immediate relatives will be permitted to fly into the Gulf state. Kuwait Airways has yet to respond publicly to the decision – which comes a day after the Kuwaiti civil aviation authority claimed there was no truth in rumours that the airport would be shut. But the flag-carrier had already been implementing blanket cancellations to Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Lebanon and Egypt, and a number of specific flights to other destinations. Jazeera Airways says that all its flights will be suspended when the ruling takes effect. Jazeera says it has offered passengers “flexibility” to amend bookings given the uncertainty over the coronavirus situation.<br/>