JEDDAH, 4 January 2006 — Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, yesterday emphasized the private sector’s future role in developing the Kingdom’s airports, which currently handle 33 million passengers annually.
Prince Sultan made this comment while presiding over the first meeting of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), which has been made an independent body and will operate on a commercial basis.
“The future phase demands more efforts from the sincere children of this country to strengthen this vital sector,” the crown prince said, urging businessmen to make use of the flexibility offered by the new Civil Aviation Law.
He said the Kingdom’s competitive edge and available resources must be invested to develop the sector to make it a real motivator of the national economy.
Prince Sultan spoke about the tremendous progress achieved by the Kingdom’s civil aviation sector. “There are now 27 domestic and international airports in the Kingdom, which serve more than 33 million passengers annually,” he said.
He said the Presidency of Civil Aviation was transformed into an independent body after conducting detailed studies in order to meet growing requirements of the industry.
“Commercial operation will give GACA greater flexibility in improving its operation efficiency in tune with modern developments in order to confront international competition and develop its resources to achieve self-dependence,” he said.
Prince Sultan said appointment of private sector representatives in the authority’s board was aimed at improving services and increasing private-sector role.
Abdullah Al-Ruhaimy, president of GACA, underlined the dynamic role of the civil aviation sector in boosting the economy.
“It offers distinct investment opportunities, which are not available in many other sectors,” he told the board meeting.
Ruhaimy said the board meeting discussed issues such as the strategy of air transportation, expansion of King Abdul Aziz International Airport, the organizational structure of GACA, licensing of airlines, commercial operation of King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and prospects of reducing tariffs on airlines.
