- The passport departments in the eastern cities of Dammam and Alkhobar will start fingerprinting foreign women from next week, similar to foreign men, Al-Hayat newspaper reported Wednesday.
- It was quoting the director general of passports in the region, Maj.
He said the passport staff at King Fahd International Airport (KFIA) would be further reinforced to cope with the new assignment.
Al-Shalfan on Tuesday chaired a meeting that was attended by the directors of the airline companies operating in KFIA, director of the airport Khaled Al-Mizaal, and chairman of the committee of the airway companies Riyadh Al-Nahhas. He told the meeting that the airport would soon be supported by sufficient passport personnel to cater to all its needs and requirements.
“We are making strenuous efforts to cope with the increasing number of passengers, especially during the school vacation, during which the number is expected to increase by more than 20 percent,” he said.
Al-Shalfan said a number of measures were taken to facilitate the movement of passengers inside the airport, including electronic gates.
Director of passports at the airport Col. Mahmoud Al-Arfaj said a passport staff would be specified to work around the clock to distribute the special cards for the opening of the gates among the passengers and explain them how to use them. “The gates will help reduce the crowdedness at the airport,” he said.
Al-Shalfan, on his part, assured there were enough quantities of cards for passengers to use and added that Saudi citizens could use the ID cards instead.
He said only KFIA and King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh were using the electronic gates. “Other airports in the Kingdom will be using them soon,” he added.
KFIA has two gates for arrivals and two for departures.
