Complaints & Suggestions
Laws & RegulationsThe sterilization and disinfection of Saudi airports and aircrafts to prevent the spread of the new Coronavirus
March 12, 2020
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) continues to implement many preventive measures from the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Kingdom's airports in coordination with the Ministry of Health. GACA has intensified its efforts of sterilizing and disinfecting airport terminals (arrival and departure) and all of the general facilities around the Kingdom’s airports. GACA has dedicated all of its capabilities to provide modern equipments that works around the clock in all of the Kingdom’s international and domestic airports with the aim of providing a healthy integrated environment for visitors of terminals throughout the airports.
Meanwhile, GACA seeks to take all health and preventive measures in the sterilization and disinfection operations of all the airports terminals. Field teams cary on the disinfection and sterilization operations on a daily 24 hours basis, using environmentally friendly materials and in accordance with the highest global safety and health standards. This includes all terminals doors (arrival and departure) and cleaning Sterilization of floors, barriers, walls, check-in counters, passenger bridges, waiting chairs, passport controls, security inspection machines, luggage conveyor belts, luggage transport vehicles and toilets. This in addition to everything that comes in the area of contact with the traveler to prevent the spread of Coronavirus Virus (COVID-19). Furthermore, loudspeakers will be activated inside the terminals to remind passengers of the need to use medical masks and sterile fluids that are provided inside the terminals.
GACA has taken many steps to prevent the outbreak of the new Coronavirus, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health. It implemented many preventive measures for passengers coming from countries where the virus poses a major threat, whether in airplanes, or inside airport terminals. This is accomplished by training the flight crew on how to deal with suspected cases during the flight by using decontamination tools, isolating procedures, and submitting the necessary reports to the Ministry of Health upon the arrival. All arriving passengers has to go health check-up and pass through mandatory thermal cameras to ensure the safety of all passengers. Health practitioners and medical teams are present at all of the Kingdom’s airports to perform all the necessary precautions, in addition to sterilizing and disinfecting of aircrafts after all passengers have disembarked.
GACA is keen on implementing all preventive measures to fight the new Coronavirus in airports around the Kingdom, where the procedures include allocating medical teams in airport access ports to examine all passengers arriving (via direct and indirect flights) from the regions and countries where the Coronavirus is prevalent. Furthermore, when a case is suspected amongst passengers, a safe route is activated to transfer the given case.
It is worth noting, that GACA has issued several circulars to all air carriers operating in the Kingdom to implement binding preventive measures on air carriers coming to the Kingdom from the countries in which the new Coronavirus is a viable threat.
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