Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat, Saudi deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah

Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat
Updated 09 October 2019
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Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat, Saudi deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah

  • Previously, Dr. Mashat served at several public universities
  • Dr. Mashat holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from KAU

Dr. Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat has been the Saudi deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah since his appointment in October 2017.

Previously, Dr. Mashat served at several public universities. His most recent position was the president of the University of Jeddah between June 2016 and October 2017.

Prior to that, he held several key positions at King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) in Jeddah where he served for 11 years. His responsibilities included setting KAU’s academic and strategic planning, international and institutional accreditations, institutional research, assurance and quality assurance. He was the vice president for the development department at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah for four years between 2013 and 2016. 

Dr. Mashat was also the dean of admissions and registration and director of the information technology center at KAU. During his tenure, KAU earned a higher world ranking. Between 2004 and 2013, Dr. Mashat was a part-time consultant for the General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques and was involved in the development of e-government systems.

Dr. Mashat holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from KAU, as well as master’s and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from the University of Leeds in the UK. 

He visited the Saudi Ministry of Interior’s pavilion at GITEX Technology 2019 in Dubai on Monday. Dr. Mashat was received by Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Interior for Security Abilities Maj. Gen. Fahd bin Zarah. Mashat was briefed on the contents of the pavilion.


Transport minister oversees operations as King Khalid Airport resumes service

Updated 6 sec ago
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Transport minister oversees operations as King Khalid Airport resumes service

  • Saleh Al-Jasser inspects facilities, assesses measures taken to restore passenger flow 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of transport oversaw operational procedures at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday after heavy rain reportedly brought it to a near standstill on Friday.

Saleh Al-Jasser inspected the airport’s facilities and assessed measures taken to restore smooth passenger flow, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He also received a technical briefing at the operations center from Raed Al-Idrissi, the CEO of Matarat Holding, on airport operations and flight punctuality, and the implementation of Passenger Rights Protection Regulations.

He ordered the necessary reviews to ensure sustained operational discipline under all conditions.

Al-Jasser was accompanied by the General Authority of Civil Aviation’s President Abdulaziz Al-Duailej; Ayman AboAbah, the CEO of Riyadh Airports Company; and several senior officials from the airport.

Thousands of passengers traveling to and from the airport were left stranded on Friday due to a slew of cancellations and delays.

Saudia and flyadeal were among the aviation firms who faced difficulties, with the two airlines blaming temporary operational challenges for the issues.

A statement from the airport on its official X account had urged travelers to contact airlines directly before heading to the aviation hub to verify the updated status and timing of their flights.

The statement said: “King Khalid International Airport would like to inform you that, due to the concurrence of a number of operational factors over the past two days — including several flights diverting from other airports to King Khalid International Airport, in addition to scheduled maintenance works within the fuel supply system — this has resulted in an impact on the schedules of some flights, including the delay or cancellation of a number of flights operated by certain airlines.”

Airport sources told Arab News that the issue resulted from the heavy rain Riyadh experienced on Friday.

Water had reportedly got into the fuel tankers set to refuel jets, and several airlines then struggled to reschedule passengers.