Kuwait Airport Staff Face Legal Action Over Filming

Take out your phone at the wrong spot in Kuwait International Airport now, and if you’re staff, you could be breaking the law.

Kuwait’s General Civil Aviation Authority has barred every employee working at the airport from filming, photographing or live streaming from their workplace. The rule doesn’t target passengers, but it’s a sign of how tightly the authority is now controlling what happens behind the scenes, just a day after the circular banning filming and photos on site was first reported.

What the new circular actually says

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) issued the directive on Thursday, 5 November, as Circular No. 60 of 2026. Acting Director-General Saad Al Otaibi signed it, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas. The rule took effect the same moment it was issued, with no grace period.

It applies to every employee at Kuwait International Airport and every entity that operates there, not just GCAA staff. Phones, cameras and any device that can record or stream footage are now off limits in work areas. That’s a wide net: ground staff, administrative workers, technicians and contractors all fall under it.

Which parts of the airport are covered?

Article 1 of the circular spells out exactly where the ban applies. It covers the aprons (the areas where aircraft park and are serviced), passenger terminals, administrative and technical buildings, and any other facility that belongs to the authority.

Staff also can’t photograph or share internal documents and correspondence. The same restriction covers anything linked to security procedures, security systems, inspection checkpoints and surveillance cameras. Aircraft movements and the day-to-day running of the airport are covered too.

In plain terms, the ban reaches from the runway apron right through to the back office. There’s very little inside the airport’s operational areas that staff can now point a camera at.

Why is the authority doing this?

The GCAA describes the airport and its facilities as vital infrastructure of a sensitive nature. It says the restrictions are there to protect the privacy of employees and passengers, to safeguard sensitive facilities, and to keep operations running smoothly without interruptions.

This fits a wider pattern. Filming rules are tightening across Kuwait generally. Drones now fall under a separate law, with jail terms and fines of up to KD 5,000 for people who break the rules around them. Kuwait has also been firm on other airport-adjacent behaviour, as seen in new rules letting staff open checked bags without the owner present at some airports regionally.

What happens if someone breaks the rule?

Article 2 of the circular is direct: any violation leads to legal accountability under Kuwait’s applicable laws, regulations and administrative decisions.

The circular is built on several legal foundations. These include the Civil Service Law, the Civil Service System, the Civil Aviation Law issued in 2025, and the Civil Service Commission’s 2021 code of conduct for government employees. Every department and sector under the authority, including all units at the airport, has been told to circulate the circular so staff know about it.

The source material doesn’t list exact fines or jail terms for breaking this specific circular, so the practical penalty for a first offence isn’t yet confirmed. What’s clear is that it’s treated as a legal matter, not just an internal disciplinary one.

So who does this affect?

The ban is written for airport employees and the companies that operate within the airport, not for travellers. If you work at Kuwait International Airport, in any role, this circular applies to you starting from 5 November.

If you’re a passenger flying through Kuwait, reports of the circular don’t describe a blanket ban on you taking photos of your boarding pass, your flight, or your family at the gate. Nothing in the directive changes that.

Even so, it’s worth being sensible. Airports are sensitive spaces everywhere, and Kuwait’s has clearly become more cautious. Keep your phone away from security checkpoints and staff, avoid filming anyone in uniform doing their job, and follow whatever signs are posted on the day. You can find more on how Kuwait is tightening rules around its airport and public spaces in our latest local news coverage.

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