Saudi airports focus on sustainability through infrastructure projects: key official
RIYADH: The aviation sector in Saudi Arabia is moving towards a sustainable model by building infrastructure to provide a seamless passenger experience for the future, according to Abdulaziz Al-Dualaj, chairman of the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.
Picking up the thread from the universal pandemic affecting the airline industry, the sector is strengthening infrastructure by addressing key issues such as staff shortages, health mandates and climate change concerns.
Fresh from the pandemic, the industry had to endure a recruitment process that took about 16 weeks from recruiting a skilled worker to finally placing them on the job, which choked the supply of employees at airports. However the situation is changing rapidly.
Speaking at World Travel & Tourism Global, Al-Dualaj said, “We have tried to support airports by expediting training, certification and security clearance of ground handlers and other players in the ecosystem through digitization programs.” summit in Riyadh.
The aviation authority last month also submitted ‘Harmonising Air Travel’ policy guidelines to the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization Council for its approval, which encourages the use of a unified health document that could ease passengers’ concerns What global travelers faced during the global pandemic.
There is also a concerted effort in the Saudi aviation sector to cut down on the amount of time or time passengers spend in airports before boarding their flights.
NEOM Airport, for example, is working towards developing a high-speed “green” rail system that will transfer air travelers downtown without the need to find a parked vehicle, meaning that There will be no parking at NEOM airport.
“Instead of focusing necessarily on the airport itself and being a destination, we want to give you the convenience of getting you into the city as quickly as possible,” said John Selden, CEO of NEOM Airport.
The airport is also considering using electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or EVTOL, to expedite the mobility of arriving passengers.
“The past two years were incredibly difficult for the industry. The check-in process, which would normally take five minutes, took 20 minutes per passenger. Speaking at the event, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General of the Airports Council International, said, We need to find a way to bring together all passenger touch points to make travel seamless.
Airports are also toying with the idea of rolling out infrastructure to support sustainability, including 100 percent green or battery-powered equipment throughout airport expansions.
“We need a system where passengers don’t leave the gate, and we don’t burn fuel on the taxiway until we’re ready for take-off. We don’t need a queue at the end of the runway.” ,” Pagano said, sharing his vision of a green hydrogen-fueled ecosystem that would power the airports of the future.