Latest news with #GACA
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi: New regulation strengthens GACA's oversight of airports and companies
NEW YORK — The new regulation grants the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) financial and administrative independence and broad powers to regulate and develop the sector, in line with the national strategy for transport and logistics services and enhancing the sector's investment attractiveness. The regulation, published in Umm Al-Qura newspaper on Friday, aims to strengthen oversight of airlines, airports, and entities operating in the sector, as well as to ensure their compliance with regulations and standards. It also aims to introduce new policies and legislation, as well as to regulate licensing, permits, and civil, private, military, and diplomatic flights. The regulation includes responsibilities related to aviation security, the environment, frequency use, and navigation information, as well as setting unified standards for smart airport technologies and improving the passenger experience. The regulation defines the powers of the GACA's board of directors, headed by the minister of transport, and including representatives from government agencies and experts from the private sector. The board is granted broad powers, including the adoption of policies and strategies, the approval of regulations and budgets, and the approval of the investment of GACA funds and international contracts. The GACA chairman will be the chief executive officer and has direct powers to manage the authority's business, appoint employees, approve financial expenditures, and represent the authority judicially and administratively. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Riyadh airport emerges topper with a compliance rate of 90%: GACA
RIYADH — The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued on Saturday its April 2025 report on airport and national carrier compliance with flight schedules, naming King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as the top performer in the first category of international airports handling over 15 million passengers annually. The Riyadh airport recorded a compliance rate of 90 percent. King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Abha International Airport, NEOM International Airport, Turaif Airport, and Wadi Al-Dawasir Airport are also among the top performers across five categories. The report evaluates performance based on flights departing or arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled time, aiming to give travelers a clear view of how well airlines and airports adhere to schedules, while also supporting efforts to improve service quality and enhance the overall travel experience. In the second category of international airports handling between 5 million and 15 million passengers annually, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam took the top spot with 87 percent. In the third category of international airports with 2 million to 5 million passengers annually, Abha International Airport ranked first with a 91 percent compliance rate. NEOM International Airport led the fourth category, for international airports with fewer than 2 million passengers annually, achieving 95 percent compliance. In the fifth category of domestic airports, Turaif Airport and Wadi Al-Dawasir Airport both ranked first with a perfect 100 percent compliance rate. At the airline level, Saudia achieved an 89 percent on-time arrival rate and an 89 percent on-time departure rate. Flynas recorded 86 percent for arrivals and 91 percent for departures, while flyadeal posted 87 percent for arrivals and 91 percent for departures. Highlighting the top-performing domestic and international routes, the report showed that the Riyadh–Abha route achieved a 96 percent on-time performance among domestic flights, while the Riyadh–Amman route ranked first internationally with a 97 percent compliance rate. These efforts align with the objectives of the National Aviation Strategy, which seeks to boost the Kingdom's position as a leading regional aviation hub by enhancing operational standards, improving efficiency, and raising the quality of services provided to travelers. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Argaam
6 days ago
- Business
- Argaam
GACA issues April report on airport, airline punctuality
The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) released its monthly report on the punctuality of Saudi airports and national carriers for April 2025. The report measures performance based on departures and arrivals occurring within 15 minutes of the scheduled time and complements GACA's other monthly assessments of service quality at airports and airlines. Among international airports with more than 15 million passengers annually, Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport ranked first with a 90% compliance rate. In the category of international airports with five to 15 million passengers annually, Dammam's King Fahd International Airport topped with 87% compliance. As for international airports with two to five million passengers per year, Abha International Airport led with a 91% compliance rate. NEOM Bay International Airport took first place in the fourth category of international airports with less than two million passengers annually, with a 95% compliance rate. Meanwhile, for domestic airports, Tarif Airport led with 100% compliance. The following table breaks down the on-time departure performance of Saudi airports in April 2025: Compliance with Departure Times Category Airport Current Month Previous Month Int'l Airports (>15 mln passengers annually) King Khalid International (Riyadh) 90% 93% King Abdulaziz International (Jeddah) 78% 84% Int'l Airports (5-15 mln passengers annually) King Fahd International (Dammam) 87% 93% Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport (Madinah) 72% 85% Int'l Airports (2-5 mln passengers annually) Abha International Airport 91% 95% King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport (Jizan) 90% 95% Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport (Tabuk) 83% 90% Int'l Airports (<2 mln passengers annually) Neom Bay International Airport 95% 95% Al-Ahsa International Airport 93% 84% Hail International Airport 92% 94% Najran International Airport 90% 92% Arar International Airport 90% 94% AlUla International Airport 89% 97% Al Qaisumah International Airport 87% 88% Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport Qassim) 86% 92% Al Jouf International Airport 84% 88% Taif International Airport 82% 88% Prince Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Yanbu 74% 81% Domestic Airports Tarif Airport 100% 100% Wadi Al-Dawasir Airport 100% 92% King Saud bin Abdulaziz Airport (Al-Baha) 99% 100% Bisha Airport 94% 88% Al-Qurayyat Airport 83% 93% Al-Dawadmi Airport 75% 100% Sharurah Airport 75% 96% Rafha Airport 73% 97% Saudi Airlines (Saudia) topped national carriers in terms of compliance to arrival and departure flights, with 89%. Meanwhile, flynas came in second with 86% for compliance to arrivals and 91% for departures. National Carriers' Compliance to Arrival/Departure Times Carrier Arrivals Departures Current Month Previous Month Current Month Previous Month Saudia 89% 95% 89% 94% flynas 86% 91% 91% 91% Flyadeal 87% 91% 91% 94% The report showed that the Riyadh-Abha route, Riyadh-Tabuk route, and Riyadh-Dammam route topped domestic routes in terms of compliance at 96%. Compliance of Top five Domestic Routes* Route Departure Compliance in Current Month Departure Compliance in Previous Month Riyadh to Abha 96% 98% Riyadh to Tabuk 96% 98% Riyadh to Dammam 96% 95% Jizan to Riyadh 95% 95% Riyadh to Jizan 95% 97% *Selected from the 20 busiest routes. Internationally, the Riyadh-Amman route topped with a 97% compliance rate, followed by the Riyadh-Dubai route (94%). Compliance of Top Five International Routes* Route Compliance of Departure Flights Current Month Previous Month Riyadh to Amman 97% 99% Riyadh to Bahrain 94% 96% Jeddah to Amman 94% 92% Riyadh to Dubai 93% 98% Riyadh to Kuwait 92% 93% *Selected from the 20 busiest routes. GACA indicated that cancelled flights are excluded when calculating the compliance rate. The actual time is calculated when the aircraft starts moving (push back from the stand) and when it stops moving (on stand with brakes on).
Arab News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
SAB and HSBC to power Riyadh Air's expansion across Mideast, Asia
Saudi Awwal Bank, one of the leading banks in Saudi Arabia, and HSBC, the global banking and financial services organization, have together been awarded the Middle East and Asia cash management mandate for Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's digital native carrier, as it prepares to commence operations this year. For more than 70 years, HSBC and SAB's banking partnership has enabled clients in the Kingdom to grow domestically and expand internationally. Together, SAB and HSBC will work closely with Riyadh Air to provide an integrated and seamless cash management program to manage all payment and liquidity needs across the two regions. As a domestic house bank, SAB will oversee operations within Riyadh Air's home market of Saudi Arabia when it begins operations, including facilitating payments and liquidity management. Additionally, SAB has been mandated as one of the acquirers for Riyadh Air's e-commerce transactions, further enhancing the airline's operational capabilities. Simultaneously, HSBC will support Riyadh Air with its planned expansion in markets across the wider Middle East and Asia. The mandate will enable Riyadh Air to leverage HSBC's award-winning payments solutions including Virtual Accounts, Omni Collect and automated sweeping solutions, ensuring efficient cash management and seamless liquidity across their international operations. Executives from SAB and HSBC joined Riyadh Air at its new head office at the GACA Campus on Airport Road, for a signing ceremony to mark the partnership. Yasser Albarrak, chief corporate and institutional banking officer at SAB, said: 'We are proud to support Riyadh Air as it embarks on a journey to redefine aviation travel in the Kingdom. This partnership highlights our commitment to providing innovative banking solutions that empower groundbreaking projects in Saudi Arabia, ensuring that Riyadh Air can achieve its vision of transforming the travel experience.' Adam Boukadida, CFO of Riyadh Air, said: 'We are proud to be partnering with SAB and HSBC as we embark on our journey to revolutionize air travel. This collaboration will enable us to manage our financial operations effectively, ensuring a smooth launch and seamless service delivery.' Kyle Boag, head of global payments solutions, HSBC Middle East, North Africa and Turkiye, said: 'Connecting clients across the world is at our core. This mandate underscores HSBC's world-leading payments solutions, our expertise in the aviation sector and our commitment to Saudi Arabia's growth. As the largest international bank across Asia and the Middle East, we will provide Riyadh Air with seamless cash solutions as they take flight to new markets.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
22-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia Grants Civil Aviation Authority Financial Independence
The Saudi government has approved a new regulatory framework for the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), granting it expanded powers to achieve financial sustainability and operate independently from the state budget. Under the new structure, approved recently by the Council of Ministers, GACA will gradually transition to self-funding through revenue generated from its services. While it will initially receive allocations from the state budget, the long-term goal is for the authority to maintain its own independent annual budget and a reserve fund equal to twice its previous year's expenditures. The move is part of Saudi Arabia's broader strategy to modernize and privatize key sectors, in line with the national transport and logistics strategy. GACA's updated mandate includes regulating and developing the civil aviation sector, improving oversight, and making the industry more attractive to private investment. GACA is now authorized to invest its revenues to support its financial goals. The Minister of Transport and Logistics—who also chairs the authority's board—and the Minister of Finance will jointly oversee how these investments are managed. The authority can also impose service fees for activities and operations it oversees. However, these fees must be coordinated with the Ministry of Finance and the Center for Non-Oil Revenue Development, until a broader regulatory framework for government service charges is finalized. The new structure empowers GACA to set policies, draft regulations, and monitor compliance across the aviation sector. This includes oversight of airport operations, enforcement of safety and performance standards, and ensuring alignment with the civil aviation strategy. GACA will also handle flight permits for scheduled, charter, military, and diplomatic flights, and approve commercial agreements involving domestic and international carriers. It will set unified standards for smart airport technologies to improve passenger experience, in collaboration with the Communications, Space and Technology Commission. Environmental protection will also fall under GACA's jurisdiction, including the design and supervision of aviation-related sustainability programs, while agreements between Saudi and foreign airlines operating to and from the Kingdom must comply with international treaties and reflect economic, social, and security priorities.
