On January 8, Imad Al-Jalawi, Deputy Director General for Air Navigation Services, wrote to the Director General of the General Administration of Civil Aviation to inquire about the expiration of Kuwait International Airport's license certificate on December 31, 2022, and was informed that the renewal took place on time on January 1 for two years.

Al-Qabas daily reports that the deputy director had no news about the renewal, which prompted him to write in his official letter.

It was alleged that the airport operated without a license for several days after its license certificate expired on December 31, 2022, and it was not renewed before it expired.

Several sources told the daily that the airport's operation following the expiration of its license could lead to problems with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in addition to fears that some major airlines will not fly to Kuwait.

The letter sent by the Deputy Director General for Air Navigation Services, Imad Al-Jalawi, to the Director General of the General Administration of Civil Aviation, stated, “We inform you that the Kuwait International Airport license certificate expired on Dec 31, 2022, and the Air Navigation Department addressed the Aviation Safety Department on Dec 15, 2022 in the same regard, and the statement of the Safety Department said the certificate had not yet been signed; therefore, “please kindly instruct those who are required to approve the new certificate, as one of the airlines has contacted the air control officials to inquire about the validity of the airport certificate, due to its importance to the authorities of the state licensing airlines.”