Dr. Faisal Alsugair, CEO of Airport Holding Company/advisor to the president of GACA, displayed during his participation at the JEF GACA'S successful track record in airports and other sectors. He cited GACA's experience with Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz airport (PMIA) in Madinah, which was built through a system called (BTO) Build-Transfer-Operate. Alsugair stressed that GACA has made part of its strategy, the reliance on its own resources within 5 years, and that could be achieved by working to improve its own ability in creating projects and streamline its ability to follow up on its ongoing contracts. Also by improving its efficiency and its ability of operating airports and by diversifying its revenues and keeping up with its maintenance on the long run, while improving the infrastructure in accordance to international standards. He also stressed that GACA is working on a number of goals, which include the operation, provision and the development of its fixed assets of at all of its airports and air navigation sector, adding, work is also ongoing on applying and developing a set of procedures to ensure safety and security of air transport. The ability of GACA to control the operation and maintenance standards, the constant efforts at developing revenues and the push to encourage investment in all of its airports. Alsugair also stressed the success the GACA had in the increment of the private sector participation in the civil aviation industry. This in turn has played a positive role in improving the quality and efficiency of all of its airports. He also noted that work is under way to promote the growth of the aviation sector and to increase its financial independence as an independent stand-alone entity. Alsugair saidd that the corporatization experience at PMIA, contributed to alleviating the problem that was once faced by the airport, which has seen a steady increase in the passenger's traffic in recent years. The compounded annual growth has reached 19% from 2004 to 2009 and the number of passengers in 2009 has reached 3.8 million, an increase of 12% over 2008. He added that GACA in order to address current state of its airports has worked at involving the private sector to reconstruct and expand its current facilities and to build new terminals through long term partnership (25 years). This include design operator scope, financing, construction and operation of facilities and the collection of financial revenues.
