A major fire broke out this morning at Terminal 2 of Kuwait International Airport. The new terminal is still under construction, and has not yet been opened to the public
Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said that the airport is now proceeding as usual, and that airport activity has not been affected by the fire.
الطيران المدني : حركة الملاحة الجوية في مطار الكويت الدولي تسير بشكل طبيعي ولم تتأثر اثر الحريق المحدود في مبنى الركاب الجديد رقم ( 2 ) pic.twitter.com/ZE4YuJq2sc
— الطيران المدني (@Kuwait_DGCA) March 28, 2022
Footage circulating online shows giant plumes of black smoke billowing out from behind one of the runways. The Kuwaiti General Fire Force have said that six firefighting teams were dispatched and that the situation is now under control.
ستة فرق للإطفاء سيطرت على حريق اندلع في مبنى مشروع المطار الجديد T2 pic.twitter.com/23udMM1SYJ
— قوة الإطفاء العام (@kff_kw) March 28, 2022
The building that caught fire was part of Kuwait International Airport’s Terminal 2, which has been undergoing building works since mid-2017. The new Terminal was due to be completed in August this year but has already faced delays due to the limited availability of workers and supplies during the pandemic. This latest fire will only hinder progress further.
About Kuwait International’s Terminal 2
Terminal 2 was designed by Foster and Partners and began construction in May 2017. Once completed, it will expand Kuwait International Airport’s passenger capacity by a 25-50million per year. The project consists of three phases. The first phase will see the completion of the passenger building, the central power building, the water tank building, the infrastructure tunnel, and the electrical substations. It was the passenger building that was affected by the fire.
The second phase will be the service buildings, and roads connecting the new terminal to the car park.
The third phase will address aircraft-related infrastructures, such as hangars, runways and service buildings
The new terminal will offer 28 new gates, 4500 additional car parking spaces, and an airside hotel with 400 beds. It is due for completion later this year, though it is likely the fire will have delayed progress.
