Arab News, Tue, Oct 17, 2023 | Rabi Al-Thani 2, 1445
Riyadh Airport tops Kingdom’s aviation hub ranking
Saudi Arabia:
King Khalid International Airport outperformed other international aviation
hubs in Saudi Arabia for overall performance in September, according to official
data.
According to the General Authority of Civil
Aviation, Riyadh’s KKIA emerged topmost in the category of international
airports serving over 15 million passengers annually with a compliance rate of
82 percent.
GACA monitors 11 operational performance standards
that track passenger experience, such as check-in, security, passport and
customs control.
The other touchpoints include assistance for
people with limited mobility and airport delays.
In the same category, Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz
International Airport received a compliance rate of 82 percent but fell short of
the average waiting time for arriving and departing flights compared to Riyadh’s
KKIA.
According to the GACA report, Dammam’s King Fahd
International Airport maintained the first spot in the second category, where
the number of passengers ranges between 5 million to 15 million annually, with a
compliance rate of 91 percent in September, up from 82 percent recorded in the
previous month.
Madinah’s Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz
International Airport received rating of 73 percent in September, down from 82
percent in August.
In the third category of international airports,
those serving between 2 million and 5 million passengers annually, Abha
International secured first place with a 100 percent compliance rate, up from 91
percent in August.
Jizan’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International
Airport also achieved a 100 percent compliance rate, up from 82 percent recorded
in the previous month.
Meanwhile, Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz
International was ranked first in the fourth category of international airports,
those receiving less than 2 million passengers annually, with a 100 percent
compliance rate in September for the third month in a row.
The airport outperformed competitors in total
average waiting time for departure and arrival flights.
The fifth category is a ranking for domestic
airports, in which Gurayat Airport came first, achieving a 100 percent rate,
reflecting stability since July figures.
The National Aviation Strategy is one of the
critical elements in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, as the Kingdom aims to
diversify its revenue sources by elevating its travel and tourism sector.
According to the strategy, Saudi Arabia aims to
increase air connectivity to 250 destinations, reaching 330 million passengers
and double air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons by 2030.