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New Delhi, July 21–22, 2025 — India and Kuwait have signed a revised aviation agreement increasing the bilateral weekly seat capacity by 50%, from 12,000 to 18,000 seats per week in each direction—marking the first such expansion since 2006, when capacity was last raised from 8,320 to 12,000.
Agreement Details
- The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Samir Kumar Sinha, India’s Civil Aviation Secretary, and Sheikh Hamoud Mubarak Al Sabah, President of Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
- This is the first expansion in nearly two decades for Kuwait’s bilateral flying rights under the India–Kuwait Air Services Agreement.
Why Now: Rising Demand and Strategic Imperatives
- The upgrade responds to soaring passenger demand, especially from the more than 900,000 Indian expatriates in Kuwait, along with growing business and religious travel between the two countries.
- It follows bilateral discussions initiated during Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to Kuwait in December 2023, forming part of broader strategic cooperation.
Airline Response & Plans
- Airlines including IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and Kuwait Airways have already submitted seat allocation proposals:
- IndiGo: +5,000 seats weekly
- Air India Express & Akasa Air: +3,000 each
- Air India: +1,500 seats
- Daily flights between India and Kuwait already top 40 per day roughly 280 weekly flights, with Kuwait Airways leading at 54 weekly services and IndiGo close behind at 36.
Timeline & Deployment
- Indian regulators have given airlines until July 21, 2025 to submit proposals—a tight timetable aimed at onboarding new capacity swiftly.
- The expanded services are expected to roll out from August 2025, with priority given to high-demand routes from South Indian cities including Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru, and Thiruvananthapuram.
