Independent body to probe air accidents

The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) has decided to set up an independent body to investigate air accidents. It will be headquartered in Jeddah.
The new investigation body will be financially and administratively independent, according to a recent decision of the board of directors of GACA.
"The new entity will be responsible for investigating plane crashes and other related accidents in general and will enjoy total freedom. The statutes for the new body and its functions, which are on par with international regulations on air accidents, are in place," said Capt. Ibrahim Al-Kesshi, director general of the Aircraft Investigation Office, in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency yesterday.
He added that the preparations are now under way to man the office with technical hands and provide the necessary wherewithal to conduct investigations.
He said the initiative to set up the office came from GACA Chairman Prince Fahd bin Abdullah who is keen on ensuring total safety in the civil aviation sector.
He said the Kingdom will also attend for the first time the 23rd periodic meeting in Singapore under the supervision of the International Civil Aviation Organization which regulates activities of the air navigation between countries, border crossing operations and regulations governing air accidents. Other participants at the meeting include the United States, France and Britain.
The state-run Saudi Arabian Airlines has an excellent safety record. The last major plane crash was in 1996 when a Saudia passenger aircraft was involved in a midair collision with Air Kazakhstan flight over Haryana, India, in 1996.