Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH ‑‑ The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has intensified sanitizing and disinfecting of domestic flight terminals and general facilities as part of preventive measures introduced in cooperation with the Ministry of Health to combat the virus.

GACA has been coordinating round-the-clock cleaning operations at the country’s airports using the latest high-tech, environmentally friendly equipment and materials.

Doors, floors, barriers, walls, check-in counters, passenger bridges, waiting chairs, passport control areas, security inspection machines, luggage conveyor belts and transport vehicles, and toilets are all being blitzed in a bid to keep the infection at bay.

GACA continues the process of sterilization and disinfection operations on a daily basis for all terminals and airport’s facilities. There are field teams who conduct round-the-clock visits to monitor the level of sterilization in order to apply the highest levels of prevention and in accordance with international safety and health standards.

GACA has also made it mandatory for employees at the airports to wear gloves and masks. Furthermore, GACA has made health sterilizers available and distributed protective tools for all staff, passengers and those frequenting the airports. This in addition to providing many awareness campaigns inside international and domestic terminals in the Kingdom's airports, with the aim of educating the traveling public and workers alike in various sectors operating in airports of ways of preventing the emerging virus.

The measures taken by GACA included obliging all ground service companies operating in the Kingdom's airports to sterilize and disinfect buses designated for transporting passengers to and from aircraft, reducing the number of passengers inside buses and leaving sufficient distances between each of the buses, while transporting passengers to and from the aircraft, as well as sterilizing passengers’ luggage.