Kuwait Air cancels route

This item appears on page 4 of the February 2016 issue.

On Dec. 15, Kuwait Airways ended the New York (JFK)-to-London (Heathrow) leg of its Kuwait City-New York-London-Kuwait City circuit rather than allow Israeli citizens to board its aircraft. The airline’s JFK-Heathrow flight often was cheaper than flights of other airlines.

On Oct. 29, after investigating a 2013 incident in which an Israeli citizen was unable to purchase a ticket from the airline online, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) notified Kuwait Airways that the carrier’s practice of not allowing Israeli passport holders to purchase tickets was discriminatory. The DOT gave the airline 15 days to end the practice, prompting the canceling of the New York-London leg instead.

A Kuwait Airways spokesperson said that the airline was simply complying with Kuwaiti law, which states that no company can do business with Israeli citizens or businesses. Israeli citizens are not allowed to enter Kuwait, even on a stopover.

Kuwait Airways will still fly be­­tween Kuwait City and New York.