The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Assistant to the President for safety, security and air transport, Capt. Abdul Kareem Albadur held a meeting recently at his office in Jeddah with officials of the Saudi Aviation Club and the Saudi Federation for Aviation Sport. Albadur welcomed the General Manager of the Saudi Aviation Club Mansour Aljauni and the General Secretary of the Saudi Federation for Aviation Sport Dr. Mubarak Alswailem, stressing that the meeting aims to enhance communication and to improve coordination between GACA, the Saudi Aviation Club and the Saudi Federation for Aviation Sport. Albadur pointed out that GACA commenced on March 1, applying a new set of safety regulations in recognition to the sport and recreational aviation that has started to attract a lot of practitioners. He also pointed that GACA's Board of Directors approved GACA request for a reduction in GACA registration fees from SR1,000 SR to SR500, for aircraft that do not exceed 5,000 kg in weight. This in addition to reducing some other fees for small aircraft. Capt. Albadur said GACA has set a special sport aviation unit at King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) staffed by specialized professionals which help in the smooth organization of this activity and raise the safety level as well. Each of the Executive Director of the Aviation Club and the General Secretary of the Saudi Federation for Aviation Sport thanked GACA's President for the attention and care he has given to this kind of activities, stressing that this serve as an incentive to achieve the goals of these clubs and a push forward to those who are interested in various aviation science in the Kingdom. — SG
