GACA Showcases its Programs to Improve Travelers’ Experience at the Customer Experience World Forum

January 28, 2024

The General Authority of Civil Aviation participated in a dialogue session entitled "How to Develop the Visitor Experience to Become the Best," on the sidelines of the "Customer Experience World Forum" event. This forum was organized by the Saudi Customer Experience Association in the city of Riyadh from January 24 to 25, 2024, under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Commerce, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, with the participation of local and international experts.

During the discussions presented by Engineer Hussein bin Sultan Al-Assaf, the Director General of Excellence and Development in the Quality and Traveler Experience Sector, the Authority confirmed that it is continuously working to enhance the travelers' experience. Furthermore, the Authority's role includes monitoring, evaluating, and establishing the minimum service quality standards required for air travel. This is achieved through several programs aimed at improving the traveler's experience. The Authority also aims to establish ambitious standards and goals based on international best practices, leveraging data analysis and artificial intelligence to align with the Kingdom's Vision for 2030 and advance the aviation sector towards excellence.

Eng. Al-Assaf highlighted that to achieve the goals of the Saudi Aviation Strategy and accommodate a three-fold increase in the number of passengers, reaching 330 million passengers annually by 2030, the Kingdom is focusing on several key areas. These include expanding infrastructure, constructing new airports such as King Salman International Airport, expanding existing airports to handle increased traffic, and enhancing operational efficiency and the passenger experience. As part of its efforts, the Authority publishes monthly operational performance standards reports and annually presents awards for the best Saudi airports to promote healthy competition and transparency.

Regarding innovation and sustainable development in the aviation field, Eng. Al-Assaf explained that the Authority is collaborating with the Kingdom's airports to implement a digital development system project. This system will manage and monitor passenger movement, enabling real-time monitoring of waiting times at key traveler contact points within the Kingdom's airports. By the end of this year, it will be able to accurately measure waiting times. Travelers will have direct access to the latest technology, providing accurate, high-quality data.

The Director General of Excellence and Development also stated that the Authority aims to establish better communication with travelers through various digital channels operating 24/7, including call center No. 1929. Travelers will be encouraged to utilize social media platforms, the Authority's website, WhatsApp service, email, and social media (X platform) to ensure quick response times.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation's participation serves to introduce the programs and initiatives aimed at enhancing the traveler's experience when flying. It also highlights the most important and latest topics related to innovation and its impact on this critical sector. It is worth noting that the "Customer Experience World Forum" event offers participants from various countries the opportunity to exchange experiences and explore global standards in customer experience, contributing to success and excellence in any organization.

The event covers various important topics and dialogue sessions, including strategies for improving customer experience and methods for measuring it. Additionally, it focuses on the opportunities available for enhancing customer experiences through the application of artificial intelligence in managing customer interactions, along with other topics related to various vital industries.