Monday 5 October 2009 (15 Shawwal 1430)
Air charter service for pilgrims
K.S. Ramkumar I Arab News
 TIMELY FLIGHT: An AlWafeer Air aircraft being readied at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah for the upcoming Haj season. (AN photo) |
JEDDAH: The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) awarded an operating license to AlWafeer Air, a specialized Saudi charter carrier, on Sunday to operate Haj and Umrah flights.
“We chose to grant a charter operating license to AlWafeer only after we were fully satisfied that it had complied with all GACA regulations and requirements in order to obtain the Air Operator Certificate and had the ability to operate charters for Haj and Umrah pilgrims,” GACA President Abdullah M.N. Rehaimi told reporters at a ceremony here.
AlWafeer Air will transport pilgrims from Algeria, Niger, Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and some European countries. “We hope to cover all Islamic countries with a bigger fleet in the next three years,” said Adnan A. Dabbagh, president and CEO of AlWafeer Air.
“We are working toward operating the first pilgrim charter from Pakistan on Oct. 20,” he said, adding that the airline would commence operations with three Boeing 747-400 aircraft and soon increase the number of aircraft to eight.
“The aim of AlWafeer Air is to set the standard of service for pilgrims with safety, reliability and on-time performance,” Dabbagh said, adding that the airline would outsource all its required services and directly employ pilots and in-flight personnel. “The result will be partnership with the service providers and the ability to select the best service providers while concentrating on the core business of providing pilgrims with the best service,” he added.
On the impact of the global downturn on the aviation sector worldwide, Rehaimi said the Kingdom had acted well in advance, taking into account the need to change its business model to ensure better performance with emphasis on the interests of shareholders, airlines and passengers.
