Ground Support Equipment (GSE) installations at Kuwait International Airport (KWI)

Ground Support Equipment covers every powered and non-powered vehicle that moves, feeds, heats, cools or loads an aircraft while it sits at stand. It includes aircraft tugs and pushbacks, belt and container loaders, ground power units, pre-conditioned air carts, passenger steps, catering hi-lifts and lavatory and potable water trucks. Airlines, ground handlers and airport operators procure GSE in large fleets, usually on 10-15 year lifecycles, and are now transitioning heavily to electric models to meet Scope-1 decarbonisation targets.

Kuwait's aviation story is a study in delayed gratification. Terminal 2, a soaring Foster + Partners trefoil of concrete and glass designed in 2012 and repeatedly postponed, is finally approaching completion with a 25 mppa capacity target. In the meantime, existing terminals handled 15.7 million passengers in 2024, with Jazeera's Terminal 5 providing low-cost breathing room. The airport is poised to finally match the ambition of its Gulf neighbours.