Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways resumed limited direct flights from Kuwait International Airport on April 26, 2026, following a 55-day airspace closure that began on February 28, 2026. The shutdown stemmed from Iranian retaliatory strikes that disrupted regional airspace, forcing operations to relocate to Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait Airways launched 35 flights from Terminal 4 over the first week, connecting to 17 destinations including London, Istanbul, Mumbai, Cairo, Manila, Riyadh, and Jeddah. Acting CEO Abdulwahab Al-Shatti stated to KUNA that Cairo services would operate daily, with Jeddah and Dhaka each four times weekly. Eight cities such as London, Riyadh, Mumbai, and Manila received three weekly flights, while Istanbul, Guangzhou, and Colombo had one each.
Jazeera Airways restarted from Terminal 5, serving 10 destinations: Amman, Beirut, Mumbai, Cairo, Kochi, Damascus, Delhi, Istanbul, Riyadh, and Jeddah. The carrier added Riyadh and Jeddah to bolster Gulf links. Dubai services continue via Dammam, with residual operations at the Mishref facility.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation reopened airspace on April 23, with commercial flights starting three days later in a phased approach. Terminals 4 and 5 run from 09:00 to 16:00, operating at about 10% of pre-closure capacity with around 40 daily flights versus 400 before. No foreign carriers have resumed yet.