Al-Mansouri chaired the Arab Virtual Symposium "Together, we shall comeback”

 His Excellency the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Mr. Abdulhadi bin Ahmed Al-Mansouri, chaired today the virtual symposium entitled "Together, we shall comeback”, with the participation of a number of heads of civil aviation authorities in the Arab countries, and the regional director-designate of the "ICAO" office in the Middle East, the director general of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO), IATA Regional Vice-President for the Middle East and North Africa, the Secretary General of the Arab Air Transport Association, and a number of entities related to the air transport industry in the Kingdom.

His Excellency the President of GACA stressed during his opening speech, the keenness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on close cooperation between countries of the world, organizations, unions and bodies specializing in the civil aviation industry that contributes to the success of this industry. He indicated the fact that all countries around the Globe stand as one  to work on a standardized roadmap, which includes a set of standards that contribute to the return of air traffic as before.

Al-Mansouri highlighted the preventive and health measures taken by GACA in the Kingdom during the novel Coronavirus pandemic, where the authority applied the highest safety standards in the civil aviation sector based on its legislative role. Furthermore, GACA also implemented a set of measures that included a general exception that allowed for the extension of the validity periods of licenses and certificates for aircrew personnel, trainers and flight dispatchers, in accordance with certain conditions and provisions that guarantee the achievement of a high level of safety.

His Excellency clarified during the symposium that GACA had allowed the usage of the fuselage of some passengers aircrafts to be used in freight operations to augment the drug and medical supply chains, all in line with technical specifications issued by aircraft manufacturers.

The symposium stressed the importance of states working side by side and taking all precautionary measures from international civil aviation organizations. Moreover, the recovery phase and the resumption of full operation will be achieved with the full solidarity of all countries. It mentioned all the seminars organized by the (ICAO) regional office in the Middle East to revive aviation and address the response and recovery center, along the work plan to implement recommendations at the global level in response to the request of the ICAO Council.

The symposium reviewed the efforts made by GACA during the pandemic, as the authority devoted all its sectors and energy to overcome the crisis by the best means. GACA have also issued a guideline for operating under the Coronavirus pandemic, which was the a major reason for the resumption of domestic flights. Furthermore, the symposium addressed the measures taken at the regional level, and the build up of resilience and the future path of the sector. 

It is worth noting, that the virtual symposium organized by the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation in the Kingdom entitled "Together, we shall comeback", aimed at reviewing the efforts of the Kingdom and that of international organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the preventive measures and precautionary measures taken during the pandemic. Furthermore, a chance to identify the future of civil aviation and seek to exchange ideas and visuals about the recovery phase of the international civil aviation industry in the coming period.