GACA President to Asharq Al-Awsat: We are Moving towards Automating Saudi Airports

The Chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Abdulaziz Al-Duailej (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, said that Saudi Arabia is one of the advanced countries in digital government, technical connectivity, and access to information, revealing the Kingdom’s efforts to benefit from the latest technologies in the field of automating airport operations with the aim of facilitating the traveler’s experience.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Duailej explained that the authority has recently automated many processes at airports, including obtaining a boarding pass electronically and dropping luggage without human intervention.
The chairman of GACA was speaking at the conclusion of the Future Aviation Forum 2024, on Wednesday.
The three-day event was held in Riyadh with the participation of more than 30 ministers, 77 leaders of civil aviation authorities and heads of air transport companies, as well as 7,000 industry experts from more than 120 countries.
Al-Duailej noted that the electronic gates service was activated at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh during the month of Ramadan, adding that GACA was working to introduce other automated services.
He also highlighted progress towards achieving the country’s goals of doubling the number of passengers, to exceed 330 million in 2030.
The Saudi official stated that the Kingdom enjoys a strategic geographical location and aims to be a hub connecting the East to the West, especially in the field of aviation and logistics services. From this standpoint, he stressed that the country seeks to double air freight from less than one million tons in 2019 to more than 4.5 million tons by 2030.
He continued that Saudi Arabia aims to increase the number of direct air stations from 148 stations in 2023 to 250 global destinations in 2030.
The Saudi strategy for the civil aviation sector focuses on creating a global investment environment and shaping the future of the aviation industry in Saudi Arabia, with the aim to transform the country into a leader in the region and the world.