RIYADH, 1 April 2003 — Saudi Arabia has begun issuing its own licences for pilots and crew after the United States revoked certification of four Saudi pilots on the grounds they posed a security threat, an official said yesterday.
The head of the Saudi Civil Aviation Agency, Ali Al-Khalaf, said the new licences are recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization and also cover the technical staff.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has been issuing licences for Saudi pilots in accordance with an agreement with the Kingdom. But in January, US authorities revoked the licences of two pilots, Maan Hassan Zarie and Tarek Hassan Jifry, and two co-pilots, Nabil Muhammad Adawi and Khaled Fahd Al-Olayan. Licences of the latter two were later returned.
The cases against the two pilots stem from the new Transportation Security Administration’s responsibility to conduct threat assessments of all pilots, mechanics and flight instructors authorized to work or fly in the United States.
