Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Suleiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, the Minister of Transport, inaugurated here today the 23 General Assembly of the Arab Civil Aviation, hosted by the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation. Addressing the opening ceremony, the Minister said the air transport industry plays a vital role in the economies of countries and directly or indirectly affects achieving the progress of civilization, pointing out that the industry is today facing a number of challenges in the Arab world, including the security of civil aviation, its air safety, competition and the economics of aviation, air navigation legislation and regulations. Hamdan pointed to the Kingdom's vision to address these challenges as the need for joint action among the countries of the region as a single bloc, through the Arab Authority for Civil Aviation, as well as cooperation and coordination with international bodies and federations concerned, first and foremost the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Transport Minister explained that competition in the air transport market intensified and as regards the Arab air couriers, they have to manage to occupy the top ranking among the world's best airlines, because of the superiority of their services and preferential prices. He confirmed that civil aviation in the Arab region have viable prospects and great opportunities ripe for growth.
