Striking workers ground flights of Kuwait Airways

KUWAIT CITY - The Associated Press

Passengers sit outside the Kuwait Airways terminal at the Kuwait Airport yesterday. REUTERS photo

Kuwait Airways says flight cancellations across its network of routes have been extended into a second day yesterday as it copes with a strike by workers.

The action by Kuwait Airways employees is part of a larger wave of work stoppages in the oil-rich Gulf state that began when customs workers went on strike last week. Workers’ demands include calls for higher pay. Kuwaitis are used to well-paying government jobs and a cradle-to-grave social security system that has increasingly become a burden on the state.

The airline said yesterday it has grounded multiple flights through at least early afternoon. The cancellations began on March 17 and affect incoming and outgoing flights on key routes including to regional hub Dubai and Western destinations such as Frankfurt and New York.