JEDDAH: The Prince Sultan Aviation Academy (PSAA) has said that it can admit Saudi women for training as pilots as long as they arrive as part of airline company training courses. Talal Aqil, head of the PSAA's strategic unit, told Al-Hayat Arabic daily that it only gives training to airline groups and “not individuals”. “The academy does not provide training for individuals but only airlines, so it can accept Saudi women and other women for training but only through official airline companies,” Aqil said at a press conference here Monday. He said that Saudi women who are currently licensed to pilot aircraft have private licenses. “They obtain them from the flight academies across the world,” he said. Saudia to procure 50 aircraft Saudi Airlines revealed at the conference that it is currently in negotiations for the purchase of 50 new aircraft, while the assistant executive director general of the airline said that some of the company's sectors had 100 percent Saudization and that soon all its pilots will be Saudis. “In other sectors the rate has reached 90 percent,” said Omar Al-Jafri. “During the year 2013 we will be dispensing with all non-Saudi assistant pilots, of which there are currently 24. In 2017 we will have full Saudization of pilots and assistant pilots.” He added that Saudi pilots scheduled for transfer to ground services due to their failure to pass the academy's examinations constitute no more than 0.5 percent of pilots. “That is ten times lower than the international average,” Al
