Acting director general engineer Saad Al-Otaibi signed circular 60 for 2026 directing all staff and operational entities at Kuwait International Airport to refrain from using mobile phones, cameras or any technological means to photograph, record or broadcast live from work areas. The prohibition covers airport yards, passenger terminals, administrative buildings, technical facilities and every location affiliated with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The circular also bars the imaging or publication of internal documents, correspondences, security procedures, inspection points, surveillance cameras, aircraft movements or operational processes, according to the text of the directive.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation data places passenger traffic at Kuwait International Airport at 15.7 million in 2025, its highest annual total on record. The authority’s figures further show that November 2025 alone saw 1.163 million passengers pass through the facility along with more than 10,000 flight movements. Such volumes underscore the need for stringent controls on visual documentation in a high-traffic aviation hub, the circular implicitly recognises through its comprehensive scope.
The directive instructs uniform application across all departments and warns that violators will face referral to public prosecution under prevailing laws. It specifies that the ban extends to any content that could reveal details about security systems or operational workflows. The measure aligns with a series of security-focused steps taken by Kuwaiti authorities in recent months, including an earlier Ministry of Interior prohibition on drone flights and aerial imaging issued in March 2026.
Similar restrictions on photography appear at many airports across the Gulf region, where officials routinely cite both passenger privacy and counter-terrorism considerations. In Kuwait, the policy targets not only general imaging but also any dissemination of materials linked to the airport’s technical or administrative functions. The circular requires immediate compliance from all personnel and partner organisations working within the designated zones.
Kuwait International Airport has expanded its infrastructure in recent years to accommodate rising demand, with cargo volumes reaching 20.9 million kilograms in November 2025 according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation statistics. The new photography rules form part of layered protections intended to preserve the integrity of those operations. No exemptions for personal use by employees or contractors are outlined in the document.
This latest circular continues the authority’s pattern of updating protocols to match evolving security requirements at one of the region’s busiest gateways. Directorate General of Civil Aviation officials have not released additional implementation guidance beyond the text of circular 60 itself.
