The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) is looking for new measures to reduce the amount of fuel used, cut congestion and increase the absorption capacity of the atmosphere, Muhammad Bin Ahmad Al-Salmi, Vice president of the authority, said here on Monday. The authority recently arranged a symposium to discuss avenues of cooperation between the civil and military sectors to find new solutions to reduce air congestion. The two-day symposium was attended by a large number of experts in the civil aviation field. “We are aiming to achieve the highest rate of safety, as well as reducing the difficulties faced by air controllers,” said Al-Salmi. “Finding new ways to reduce congestion will help a lot in adopting safety measures,” he said. Six airports in the Kingdom and the Gulf countries have seen a rapid expansion recently. Airports in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar and Dammam's King Fahd International Airport all operate within a radius of about 600 sq. km. A small area having heavy air traffic can increase the number of accidents, said Al-Salmi. The symposium was attended by a number of experts in the civil aviation field from several European countries.
