JEDDAH: Suleiman Al-Hamdan, head of the Presidency of the General Authority for Civil Aviation, described services at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport as a “major leap” forward for the city and airport services in the Kingdom.

During his visit to the new airport in Madinah, he said he was pleased with the high quality of service as guests arrive from all around the word to perform Haj.

As many pilgrims have expressed their satisfaction with the services provided at the new airport, Al-Hamdan described the airport as “modern” and something citizens and residents of Madinah can be proud of.

“We held several meetings with security and passport authorities to find ways to reduce the travel procedures for pilgrims, which sometimes only take on average 40 seconds at counters,” he said.

“This is a major achievement for all airports throughout the Kingdom.”

As for the authority’s aim to operate all airports in the Kingdom by outside investment companies, he said: “The authority is following up on the work of projects similar to the new airport in Madinah within the airport privatization plan.”