JEDDAH — The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) Board of Directors approved the new air transportation strategy aimed at developing the air transportation industry in Saudi Arabia. The GACA's 15th Board meeting held in Riyadh and chaired by its president Sulaiman Al-Hamdan, also approved the reformation of branch committees to leverage the Board's role and to help achieve GACA's plans and strategies. Noting that the civil aviation sector is enjoying unlimited support from the leadership of the Kingdom, Al-Hamdan said the new strategy seeks to further improve the safe and comfortable air travel services for the citizens, expatriates and visitors. Al-Hamdan further said the new strategy is seeking to encourage investments in all the sectors of civil aviation and implement privatization initiatives in important sectors such as airports and navigation. He added that GACA is seeking to maximize domestic air traffic to cover the increasing demand for air travel, provide excellent services for passengers, and to build a strong infrastructure that fulfills the requirements of the ambitious development stages that GACA is planning to achieve through restructuring of the air transportation industry. Moreover, he said that as part of the strategy, GACA has adopted implementation of a national project by selecting a pivotal (hub) airport in the Northern Province as a first stage, and linking that airport with small domestic airports in the province through aircraft with seating capacity specifically designed for such destinations. In addition, GACA will provide the necessary financial support to activate such destinations, and link them with major cities in the Kingdom. GACA will also seek to gradually increase the number of flights and link them with various destinations in the Kingdom. If proven successful, this practice will be applied to other regions of the Kingdom. Al-Hamdan explained that the strategy also includes focusing on GACA's legislative and regulatory role, as well as its role in improving standards, implementation of evaluation programs, and re-qualifying staff at critical positions in all airports, including ground services, to achieve highest safety standards in all services. He likewise said GACA is coordinating with stakeholders to develop the Umrah industry and to increase Umrah traffic. He added that one of the strategic pillars of the new strategy is to activate the role of the new information technology center, taking into consideration that modern technology is a main transformation driver in the Kingdom's civil aviation industry. Al-Hamdan welcomed all members and congratulated the new members who recently joined the Board. The new members include Engineer Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Jarboa, Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Ismaeil, Dr. Rumaih bin Mohammed Al-Rumaih, Engineer Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Zamil, and Engineer Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Al-Ruwaitie. Al-Hamdan also extended congratulations to the members whose membership was renewed, including Engineer Faisal bin Ali Al-Zaben, Saleh bin Saad Al-Muhana, and Majed bin Abdullah Al-Bawardy. Members who completed their tenure on the Board were thanked by Al-Hamdan for their efforts and dedication, including Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al-Waily, Mazen bin Mohammed Baterji, Saleh bin Hassan Al-Afaliq and Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al-Ajlan. — SG
