Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has confirmed that its technical systems and the government systems it hosts to provide services to citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia are operating without interruption, and have not been affected by the technical outage that hit most entities worldwide.

The official spokesperson for SDAIA, Majid Al-Shehri, said in a statement issued on Friday: "From the very first moment of the technical outage, the authority has been monitoring the operation of its internal systems and the hosted government systems through its national technical teams.

"We have not experienced any disruptions, thanks to the efforts of our highly qualified national personnel in computer technology and programming. Our systems are built to the highest technical standards, ensuring quick transitions from one system to another in case of any technical failures, such as the one that occurred today."

He added that SDAIA's technical teams consist of qualified national personnel who work around the clock with relevant authorities to secure and ensure the continuity of digital government services without interruption.

Al-Shehri also noted that the nature of cyberspace comes with many risks, but SDAIA has established the latest computing technologies related to data and artificial intelligence for government entities. This ensures their quality and safety from potential risks, alongside efforts to enhance cooperation with partners worldwide to warrant an open and secure cyberspace.

Additionally, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah have announced that the global system outage affecting several airlines has impacted some carriers at these airports.

In statements released Friday on X, the airports revealed that they have activated contingency plans to use alternative systems in collaboration with the airlines, and efforts are underway to resolve the issue. The airports have urged travelers to contact their airlines before heading to the airports to check the status of their flights and stay updated on any schedule changes.

Flynas, a Saudi airline, stated on Friday that its operations were affected by the global glitch, causing delays for some of its flights and slowing down its website and mobile app. The company added that it is working with its service provider to fix the issue and access alternative systems to resume normal operations.

Meanwhile, Saudia Airlines announced that its operations remained unaffected by the current outage affecting the aviation sector, and all flights were operating as scheduled.

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has confirmed the safety and integrity of its systems, national payment systems, and banking systems in the Kingdom, stating they were not affected by the global technical outage experienced by many entities.

SAMA reported that it applies the highest globally recognized operational and cyber standards and practices to its systems and national payment systems, in addition to the technical systems linked with other financial institutions.

The bank regularly updates precautionary measures to ensure the efficiency of business continuity plans and the performance of banking and national payment systems, aiming to enhance the safety and adequacy of the infrastructure to provide its services efficiently, it added.

Similarly, the Ministry of Health confirmed the safety and integrity of the health information systems used in health facilities across the Kingdom, saying that they continue to operate efficiently despite the global technical outage affecting many entities worldwide.

The ministry reported that it employs the best systems and cybersecurity technologies, regularly ensuring the safety of the health information infrastructure.

In addition, the Insurance Authority confirmed the safety of its systems and the systems of the Saudi insurance sector from any technical malfunction, stating they were not affected by the global technical outage. The authority attributed this resilience to the Kingdom's robust digital infrastructure and strong protection systems.

The authority emphasized that the Saudi insurance sector applies the highest technical and operational standards according to best practices locally and internationally, in addition to the technical systems linked with other entities.