Saudi air passenger complaints drop 41% in October: GACA
Updated 23 November 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: Complaints of air passengers in Saudi Arabia recorded a 41 percent drop to 950 in October compared to the previous month, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation.
GACA, in its monthly report released on Wednesday, revealed that it received 1,626 and 1,442 complaints in September and August respectively.
However, complaints in October rose 16 percent compared to the 812 filed in the same month last year.
Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline flynas received the fewest complaints among carriers, with 27 complaints per 100,000 travelers and a 100 percent timely handling rate, said the report.
Saudia came second with 27 complaints per 100,000 travelers and a resolution rate of 99 percent.
flyadeal came in third with 49 grievances per 100,000 travelers and a timely handling rate of 86 percent.
According to the authority, the most common complaints in August were related to flights, luggage services and tickets.
Among international airports serving more than 6 million passengers annually, Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport had the lowest complaint rate at 1 percent per 100,000 passengers.
Among domestic airports, Qaisumah domestic airport had the lowest rate at 4 percent per 100,000 travelers.
GACA’s monthly classification report aims to inform passengers about the performance of air transport service providers and airports.
The authority believes that such information could help passengers make informed choices, along with increasing transparency of the aviation sector in the Kingdom.
On Nov. 16, another GACA report revealed that KAIA outperformed other terminals in the Kingdom for overall performance in October.
It said that the Jeddah airport secured the top position in the category of international gateways, serving over 15 million passengers annually, achieving a compliance rate of 91 percent.
Strengthening the aviation sector has been crucial for the Kingdom as it eyes to become a global business and tourism hub aligned with the goals outlined in Vision 2030.
Through its National Aviation Strategy, the Kingdom aims to enhance air connectivity to 250 destinations, serving 330 million passengers, and double air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons by 2030.
Supplier hub to anchor Saudi car industry, says TASARU CEO
Updated 57 min 53 sec ago
Nada Alturki
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is stepping up efforts to localize automotive manufacturing, with its portfolio company TASARU announcing partnerships with five Tier-1 global suppliers to localize advanced component manufacturing in the Kingdom.
The agreements were announced at the fourth PIF Private Sector Forum in Riyadh. TASARU also revealed plans to establish a new Supplier Hub in the King Salman Automotive Cluster in King Abdullah Economic City, designed to support next-generation vehicle development and strengthen the national automotive ecosystem in alignment with Vision 2030.
TASARU also revealed plans to establish a new Supplier Hub in the King Salman Automotive Cluster in King Abdullah Economic City. Supplied
Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the forum, Michael Mueller, CEO of TASARU, said: “You cannot build cars without having the right partners from the supplier side, and with that, together with the OEMs, we selected the partners that we just announced today to localize them.”
He added that the presence of large international suppliers is expected to attract smaller Tier-2 and Tier-3 manufacturers, helping the ecosystem scale.
The five partners include Shin Young for metal stamping and body structures, JVIS for exterior plastics, and BENTELER for chassis and hot-formed steel components. Guangxi Fangxin will supply interior systems, while Lear Corp. completes the group, with all expected to establish manufacturing operations in the Kingdom.
Founded more than three years ago, TASARU was established to introduce new technologies into Saudi Arabia’s mobility sector. The company has prioritized localizing smaller OEM and supplier businesses while bringing next-generation solutions into the Kingdom.
Mueller said visible progress on factory construction by Ceer, Lucid and Hyundai is shifting perceptions about the sector’s viability.
“A lot of people on the sideline watched whether automotive is really happening,” he said. “Now they recognize that the factories … are under construction, so that’s the first signal that it’s not just the bubble. It’s not just PowerPoint. It’s getting real now on the ground.”
The CEO shares that KAEC is positioned as a hub for Saudi Arabia’s automotive industry, making it a strategic location for the TASARU Supplier Hub. The facility is designed to support OEMs and next-generation vehicles, including Ceer and Lucid Motors, through a shared, just-in-time manufacturing model with integrated logistics and regulatory support.
TASARU will provide infrastructure and operational support, while partners bring technical expertise and gradually develop training centers to build a local workforce, Mueller said.
He positioned Saudi Arabia as an attractive base for global suppliers because of its access to minerals and rare earth resources, energy availability and coordination across PIF portfolio companies and government entities.
“They have access to minerals. They have access to rare earth. They can benefit from what is already existing. They have stable energy solutions. I think this footprint might benefit from the whole ecosystem as it is, not just automotive,” he said.
Companies without a Saudi footprint risk missing a “huge opportunity,” Mueller added.
He said advancing the industry will require clearer regulatory frameworks, including defined trigger points and licensing pathways that allow companies to execute their mandates.
“Of course, you need to have more or less the regulatory framework to allow autonomous cars, sooner or later, on the streets. But it's happening, and this is a huge chance also for Saudi Arabia,” Muller said.
He added: “If you are advanced in bringing such regulations onto a fast track, then you have a huge opportunity to be one of the first countries that establish this.”
With rising traffic levels in Riyadh, Mueller said emerging mobility technologies could help solve first- and last-mile transportation challenges.
“If the Metro is already full, that is good because people are using it. Now, you have to connect the dots. You have to finally make sure that people get from home to the metros and or to the bus station. So this first last-mile transportation is something where new technologies might help to bridge that,” he said.
The CEO said the project is expected to take roughly one and a half to two years for suppliers to go live. More broadly, the initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s transition from investment attraction to full-scale industrial localization, strengthening local content, private-sector participation, and long-term industrial resilience in line with Vision 2030.
