DUBAI: Several Saudi aviation companies have formed an alliance to manufacture airplanes in the Kingdom. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow on Monday morning.
The initiative was launched by TAQNIA Aeronautics, a subsidiary of the Saudi Technology Development and Investment Co. (TAQNIA), and fits with the aims of Vision 2030 to nationalize the aviation industry and raise domestic industrial output by 50 percent.
The memorandum was signed by the CEOs of TAQNIA Aeronautics, TAQNIA Defense and Security Technologies, Middle East propulsion Co., the Al-Salam Aerospace Industries, the Advanced Electronics Co., the Advanced Arabian Simulation Co., the Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries, the Aircraft Accessories and Components Co., and the Saudi Rotorcraft Support Co.
The memorandum signals the alliance’s intent to establish three production lines for airplanes in the Kingdom to manufacture, test, supply and maintain three types of aircraft: The Ukrainian Antonov AN-132, the multipurpose American Black Hawk helicopter and drones.
The agreement includes manufacturing airframes and installing and testing high-tech defense technology.
The CEO of TAQNIA Aeronautics, Ali bin Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, a retired major general, said the alliance was open to all qualified Saudi companies in the aviation industry, in a bid to achieve integration, not to create competition, and in order to ensure high profits in the medium to long term.
Abdullah Al-Omary, CEO of the Middle East Propulsion Co., said it is the only company in the Kingdom that maintains and manufactures military aircraft engines. He added that his company has served the Saudi Royal Air Force for over 16 years, and “Saudi Arabia owns 82 percent of the company.”
Hamad Al-Yousefi, CEO of TAQNIA Defense and Security Technologies, said that his company looks forward to cooperating with TAQNIA Aeronautics on the alliance’s projects.
Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries CEO Ali bin Abdullah Al-Ashban said that the agreement will include the limited manufacturing of spare parts for air-defense aircraft and other aircraft used to support military operations “in order to nationalize this industry and accommodate the increasing demand for it.”
Saudi aviation companies join forces to boost Kingdom’s defense capabilities
Saudi aviation companies join forces to boost Kingdom’s defense capabilities
Saudi Border Guard arrest 4 attempting to smuggle qat
JAZAN: The Kingdom’s Border Guard in Al-Ardah, Jazan, recently arrested four Yemeni nationals attempting to smuggle 80 kg of qat into the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Mostly chewed by users, Qat is a mild stimulant and illegal across most of the Arab world.
The government has urged citizens and residents to report any information they have regarding drug smuggling or sales to the General Directorate of Narcotics Control. Reports can be made by calling 911 for Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, and 999 for other regions. Alternatively, information can be emailed to [email protected]. All reports are treated confidentially.
KSrelief distributes food in Pakistan, drills solar-powered wells in Nigeria
DUBAI: KSrelief, Saudi Arabia’s aid agency, recently distributed 370 food baskets in the flood-hit Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, benefiting 2,590 individuals.
The aid was a part of the fourth phase of the Kingdom’s Food Security Support Project in Pakistan 2024.
Last week, KSrelief, in collaboration with a civil society organization, initiated a project to drill six solar-powered medium-depth water wells in Kwara State, Nigeria. The wells, each at a depth of about 80 meters and equipped with tanks holding 5,000 liters, are for the benefit of 30,000 individuals.
The beneficiaries lauded Saudi Arabia for addressing their vital water needs.
Saudi anti-corruption authority reveals details of recent cases
- Spokesman said legal procedures had been initiated against all perpetrators
RIYADH: A spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, also known as Nazaha, revealed on Sunday details of a number of criminal cases it recently investigated and prosecuted.
Outlining 20 of the most prominent corruption cases, he said legal procedures had been initiated against all perpetrators.
In one case, two Central Bank employees were arrested for receiving sums of money from a resident, who was also arrested, in exchange for depositing more than SR7.3 million ($1.95 million), without verifying the source, into bank accounts belonging to commercial entities over a two-year period.
In another case, a security officer working at the General Department of Traffic was arrested for receiving SR387,000 from the owner of a public services office, who was also arrested, in exchange for illegally amending the essential data of a group of vehicles.
One of the cases also highlighted involved an employee working at a university hospital who was arrested for receiving SR100,000 from citizens in exchange for a promise to employ them at the university.
Nazaha said it continues to work to identify and prosecute anyone in the Kingdom involved in the embezzlement of public funds, guilty of abuse of power and position for personal gain, or otherwise harming the public interest.
It stressed that guilty parties will be pursued and held accountable, and that there is no statute of limitations on such crimes.
Saudi, Bahraini public prosecutor meet in Manama
- Al-Mujeb highlighted the unwavering support the Kingdom's public prosecution receives from its leadership
RIYADH: Saudi Public Prosecutor Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mujeb met with his Bahraini counterpart Ali bin Fadl Al Buainain in Manama, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Al-Buainain welcomed Al-Mujeb and his accompanying delegation and expressed his delight at the visit, which he said signified the ongoing exchange of visits between the judicial bodies of the two nations and the sustained collaboration in combating transnational crime.
During the meeting, Al-Mujeb emphasized the deep-rooted historical ties between the Bahrain and the Kingdom and their continued advancement across various sectors, particularly in parliamentary cooperation and the exchange of information to ensure regional security.
He highlighted the unwavering support the Kingdom's public prosecution receives from its leadership, which he said enhanced the efficiency of its judicial processes.
Conjoined Filipino twins arrive in Riyadh for surgery
- Parents convey appreciation to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
RIYADH: Conjoined Filipino twins arrived in Riyadh from Manila on Sunday following a Saudi evacuation plan coordinated by the Ministry of Health, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph were born in Panabo City in the Davao del Norte province on the southern island of Mindanao in December 2022. Their bodies share one liver.
The two 16-month-old girls arrived at King Khalid International Airport and traveled to the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital to be assessed to determine the feasibility of separation surgery.
Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, thanked the Kingdom’s leadership for their support of the flagship Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.
The program, which is spearheaded by Al-Rabeeah, has operated on more than 130 children from 25 countries since 1990. The children were born sharing internal organs with their twin.
Al-Rabeeah spoke of the program’s global significance which marks a milestone in the field of medicine, while aligning with the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to elevate the Kingdom’s healthcare services.
The parents of Akhizah and Ayeesha conveyed their heartfelt appreciation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to them following their arrival in the Kingdom.
