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The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), represented by its Beneficiary Care Center, has received two prestigious international awards at the annual Contact Center World conference in London, UK. GACA took home the "Gold" award for Best Customer Service and the "Silver" for Best Government Contact Center, competing alongside numerous government agencies and companies from around the globe. Director of the Communication Channels Department at GACA, Meshail Al-Mofawez, highlighted that these achievements underscore GACA's commitment to delivering high-quality services and enhancing beneficiary experiences. The awards reflect the authority's dedication to continuously improving service standards and achieving the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Al-Mofawez noted that GACA's success in earning these awards is due to its commitment to international best practices and quality standards, ensuring that services are provided to beneficiaries with efficiency and excellence.

The Deputy CEO of Air Transport and International Cooperation at the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Mr. Ali bin Mohammed Rajab, signed an agreement today regarding air transport services between the governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Kosovo. The Republic of Kosovo was represented by His Excellency the Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning, and Infrastructure, Mr. Libern Aliu. Also present were His Excellency the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah; the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of Albania, non-resident in the Republic of Kosovo, Faisal bin Ghazi Hafizi; and the Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the Kingdom, Mr. Lulzim Mijko. The signing took place during an official visit by a delegation led by His Excellency the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, to the Republic of Kosovo. The agreement aims to enhance cooperation in the field of air transport services and to establish regulatory frameworks for safe and organized between the two countries. The agreement aligns with the objectives of Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector strategy, which focuses on building international partnerships, signing new bilateral agreements, and expanding the operational network of national carriers. It further aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global logistics center in line Vision 2030, strengthening the Kingdom’s air connectivity to reach 250 global destinations, tripling the number of passengers to 330 million, and increasing air cargo capacity to reach 4.5 million tons annually by 2030.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued a report on the statistics of the Beneficiary Care Center from the beginning of the year to the third quarter of 2024. The report revealed that the center handled 220,537 interactions through communication channels, including 113,224 calls received via the unified number, 19,337 messages via e-mail, 13,127 direct conversations via the X platform, 48,765 interactions via the website, 25,707 automated and direct conversations via WhatsApp, in addition to 377 interactions conducted in sign language. The Beneficiary Care Center operates according to the highest quality standards. The average response speed to the customer is 5 seconds, with an average call duration of 3 minutes and 35 seconds. The percentage of lost calls stands at just 1% of total interactions, as all requests received by the center are followed up. A team of ambitious professionals from the nation work within the Beneficiary Care Center. The center serves the deaf through video calls, and all services are provided in sign language, ensuring direct interaction with service representatives. These interactions occur within a secure channel that maintains their privacy, addresses their needs, and includes their feedback through a customer satisfaction survey at the end of each interaction. The General Authority of Civil Aviation aims to enhance communication with travelers through various channels, ensuring their satisfaction with 24/7 availability. The Beneficiary Care Center is committed to strengthening the Authority's supervisory role by utilizing advanced technologies to monitor all operational processes and interactions continuously. It also analyzes data and beneficiary feedback to track performance standards across all channels. Notably, last September, the Authority's Beneficiary Care Center was awarded the Saudi Quality Certificate "Hayak" issued by the Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization. This recognition highlights the center’s excellence in applying the highest quality standards in line with quality management systems for serving beneficiaries in various facilities.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has authorized German airline Eurowings to operate regular passenger flights between Saudi Arabia and Germany. Flights from Cologne to Jeddah will begin on November 5 and from Berlin to Jeddah on November 6, operating three times weekly throughout the winter season. This initiative by GACA aims to strengthen Saudi Arabia's global air connectivity in line with Vision 2030's goal of establishing Saudi Arabia as a global logistics hub and expanding travel options. This agreement also aligns with the objectives of the National Aviation Strategy.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) held its 14th Steering Committee Meeting for Activating the National Strategy for the Aviation Sector today in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The meeting was chaired by His Excellency Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, with the attendance of His Excellency Ahmed Al-Hassan, the Assistant Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, and Eng. Omar Al-Abdullatif, the CEO of the Eastern Region Development Authority. Also in attendance were Vice Presidents, CEOs, officials, and managers representing companies and national carriers operating in the civil aviation sector in Saudi Arabia, with the meeting organized by Dammam Airports Company. In his address, His Excellency the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation announced that the civil aviation sector achieved unprecedented record numbers this year. The number of passengers increased by 15% to reach 94 million between January and September 2024, with flights seeing a 10% rise compared to 2023. This growth was particularly notable at the Kingdom’s airports, including Dammam Airport, which recorded a 16% increase in passenger numbers by September. The volume of air connectivity has expanded as well, with flights now departing to over 150 destinations weekly. He further emphasized the significant role of shipping and logistics in the Kingdom’s economic growth, highlighting that air freight has grown by 52% this year, with a total volume approaching one million tons. He stressed that this growth positively impacts various sectors across the Kingdom. His Excellency underscored the importance of redoubling efforts to enhance overall sector performance and maximize the role of civil aviation, thereby increasing the sector’s competitiveness to meet the aspirations of the wise leadership in developing the industry to better serve citizens and travelers. He also commended all employees of the civil aviation sector for their dedicated efforts in overcoming challenges. The meeting then discussed key developments in activating the National Strategy for the Aviation Sector, the progress made on various initiatives, and updates on the recommendations of the 13th Steering Committee meeting. It also reviewed the latest achievements and pioneering projects for the sector in 2024, as well as developments in the strategies of airlines operating at the Kingdom’s airports. The discussion focused on their priorities, goals, and alignment with the National Strategy to contribute to the Kingdom’s social and economic development and achieve the ambitious goals outlined in Vision 2030. The event also included a signing ceremony of several contracts between Dammam Airports Company and a number of specialized private sector companies, in the presence of His Excellency the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation. These projects, valued at over 300 million riyals, are aimed at enhancing infrastructure, improving the passenger experience, and boosting electricity reliability at the airport. They also focus on asset development, digital technology and cybersecurity. It is worth noting that the National Strategy for the Aviation Sector, derived from the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics, aims to double the sector’s capacity to more than 300 million passengers annually from over 250 global destinations. It also seeks to increase cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons of goods by 2030.

Saudi Arabia/United States—A select delegation from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) recently concluded a formal visit to the highly-acclaimed NBAA Business Aviation Convention Exhibition (BACE), held in Las Vegas, USA, from October 22-24.The visit by the Saudi delegation was aimed at keeping abreast with the latest market developments and offerings in the general aviation sector, in addition to boosting cooperation and strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders. The representative team further displayed its ongoing efforts in enhancing and raising the quality of general aviation within the Kingdom. During their visit, the Saudi delegation conducted meetings with senior executives of numerous manufacturing aircraft companies and other affiliates operating them on a global level. The discussions underlined modern technologies, innovations and solutions within the general aviation industry which also encompassed major global companies that manufacture, operate, and/or maintain business-run or private chartered aircraft. Several other key topics relative to aviation were also addressed which include leveraging cooperation associated with finding new and diverse means of effective transportation, and the importance of keeping pace and allocating suitable infrastructure in line with the continuous growth of modern aviation technologies. Earlier this year, the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation launched the “General Aviation Roadmap” during the Future Aviation Forum 2024, where it showcased the latest market offerings across the business aircraft, private chartered aircraft and aviation sectors, in addition to highlighting stakeholder relations and support for aircraft owners, investors, operators and service providers. Furthermore, the roadmap displayed the establishment of six new airports dedicated to the general aviation in Saudi Arabia, which are set to cement the country’s position as a world-class business and tourism destination, which comes in line with the wider objectives of the Saudi Aviation Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030. The NBAA BACE (Business Aviation Convention Exhibition) is one of the largest general aviation events worldwide where over 500 leading and key aviation companies partake in. The high-profile exhibition is typically held in Las Vegas, United States, on an annual basis and enables aviation stakeholders to network, exhibit, and exchange thoughts about the latest happenings within the aviation sector.