General Authority of Civil Aviation

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) (Arabic: الهيئة العامة للطيران المدني) is responsible for regulating Saudi Arabia's civil aviation sector. It was established in 1934 as the Civil Aviation Administration (Arabic: إدارة الطيران المدني) to oversee the air traffic control of Saudi Arabia.

General Authority of Civil Aviation
الهيئة العامة للطيران المدني
Agency overview
JurisdictionGovernment of Saudi Arabia
HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
21°31′30″N 39°13′6″E
Agency executive
Parent departmentMinistry of Transport and Logistic Services
Websitehttp://www.gaca.gov.sa
Abdulaziz Al-Duailej in November 2022

It is responsible for regulation of air transport services and the implementation of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards. It also co-ordinates all regulatory functions with International Civil Aviation Organization. The headquarters is in Riyadh.[1]

The GACA emerged from the Presidency of Civil Aviation (PCA; مصلحة الطيران المدني) that was created when the institution controlling aviation was split into a civil department and the Royal Saudi Air Force.[2] The Presidency of Civil Aviation was among others also in charge of the Saudi Arabian Airlines and the Meteorology Department. The Saudi Arabian Airlines was split from the Presidency of Civil Aviation in 1960 and became an independent public institution in 1963.[2] The Meteorology Department became an independent institution with own budget in 1966.[2] The name of the Presidency of Civil Aviation was changed to General Authority of Civil Aviation in 1977.[2] In late December 2011 the GACA was separated from the ministry of defence and was attached directly to King Abdullah.[3] Following this reorganization King Abdullah appointed Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed as the head of the GACA.[3]

The former president of GACA was Nabeel Al Amoudi also was the minister of transport. Then Abdulhadi Al Mansouri was appointed as president.[4] In 2021, Abdulaziz Al-Duailej was appointed head of the GACA.[5]

The GACA operates four international and 23 domestic airports within Saudi Arabia.[6] GACA introduced a number of e-services in 2019. These included check-in, baggage drop and self-scanning devices.[7]

In March 2021, GACA launched an electronic portal that offers the passengers, among different services, the option to know information about their trip by communicating with a digital assistant.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Sectors - Safety & Economic Regulations > Contact Information." General Authority of Civil Aviation. Retrieved 25 February 2012. "2- GACA (H/Q) Downtown - Jeddah" - Arabic: "2- المبنى الرئيسي للهيئة العامة للطيران المدني حي بني مالك – جدة"
  2. Company history GACA website
  3. "Saudi to open domestic market for new players says new GACA team". Arabian Aerospace. 28 December 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  4. New GACA president thanks Saudi leaders for their trust
  5. "Who's Who: Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, head of the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation". Arab News. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  6. Airport list on the GACA homepage
  7. "New technologies help increase number of flights, passengers in Saudi Arabia's airports — GACA". Arab News. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  8. "Saudi aviation authority launches e-portal to serve passengers better". Arab News. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.