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.
