Safety is a top priority throughout the aviation industry and in the State of Kuwait the responsibility rests with the DGCA's Aviation Safety Department. Five Divisions make-up the Department: Flight Operations; Airworthiness; Technical Research and Development; Licensing and Certification; and the Secretarial Division.
The Department is responsible for safety at all levels, from aircraft registration and the update of technical information to the licensing of pilots, engineers and certification of cabin staff and ground personnel. Leaving no stone unturned, it also oversees all companies involved in the Kuwait aviation industry such as maintenance firms, training organisations and parts suppliers.
In addition, it issues aircraft airworthiness certificates. While all audits to date have been passed with flying colours and Kuwait's ICAO Category 1 status assured, the Aviation Safety Department views the universal safety standards as a minimum and continually strives to scale new heights. ICAO's last comprehensive audit of Kuwait Civil Aviation proved that the Aviation Safety Department was well ahead of the curve. For example, the number of cabin crew members necessary on any particular flight is normally related to the number of passengers – such are the international safety standards. But Kuwait DGCA policy requires there be at least one cabin crew member per main exit door. So, in the unlikely event of an emergency there is always someone to guide and assist passengers to the safest and nearest exits.
Kuwait maintains a clean aviation safety record and regulations are constantly being reviewed and updated to incorporate industry best practice. Training is a key issue, with highly skilled and experienced inspectors – many of them ex-airline captains and engineers – undergoing regular refresher courses at internationally accredited training centres.
