National Day/ Acting President of the General Civil Aviation Authority: Celebrating National Day is an Incentive to Draw from Lessons

Doha, December 16 (QNA) - Acting President of the General Civil Aviation Authority Mohamed Faleh Al Hajri affirmed that the National Day is an occasion of great importance that carries many lofty meanings in the minds and hearts of citizens and residents alike. It is a day of special symbolism, in which the pledge of pride and belonging is renewed to affirm the determination of the Qatari people to make all possible efforts to advance the country, pursue the development process and achieve further progress. Celebrating this day every year is an incentive to draw from lessons and express loyalty to the values established by the founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, emulating his wisdom and good management of the country and the need to move forward on the approach he drew and foundations he laid down for a strong and independent homeland. In a special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the State's National Day, Al Hajri stressed that the celebration of the National Day is an opportunity to recall Qatar's great achievements in various fields and sectors, making it occupy a distinguished position and at the forefront of the most developed countries list. The civil aviation sector is one of the economic fields which distinguishes the State of Qatar globally. This year's slogan "Our Unity Source of Our Strength," is a consolidation of the culture of Qatari society, the close bond between the people of this country, and the extent of cohesion of all its groups in all circumstances to sacrifice for this good land. It also constitutes a lofty message to current generations to stress the need to always unite and work together to raise the name of the State of Qatar high. Regarding the most prominent achievements of the CAA in 2022, Al Hajri noted that this year had many important achievements most prominently, was the State of Qatar’s victory of the membership of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council for the next session (2023-2025) for the first time in history since joining the Chicago Convention and the ICAO in 1971, representing an important historical achievement and affirming the State of Qatar's pivotal role in the aviation industry. On Sep. 8, 2022, the State of Qatar activated its new sophisticated air space and launched the first phase of the Doha Flight Information Region (FIR) after signing the operational agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran. This comes in the context of executing the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council’s historic decision to establish Doha FIR and the Doha Region for Search and Rescue (SSR) in March 2022. In light of this, the capacity was increased to about 100 air movements per hour, and the number of air routes arriving and departing to the State of Qatar became 17 separate routes to achieve more fluidity in movement and a greater guarantee of safety, Al Hajri added. To increase the capacity for take-off and landing operations during the Qatar World Cup 2022, aircraft waiting areas in the air used during peak periods have been increased to arrange aircraft during landing, and landing and take-off procedures have been separated into two runways (Hamad International Airport and Doha International Airport), so it became possible to operate three take-offs and landings simultaneously. also, air traffic management simulator tests were conducted to ensure their safe and smooth implementation, he said. In addition to what has also been accomplished during previous years and this year in preparation to host the World Cup 2022, In Charge of Managing CAA Mohamed Faleh Al Hajri added in his statement that important and comprehensive development plans that have been implemented related to Qatari airspace, and modernization of all systems and technologies, including radars used in air navigation work. The last period witnessed the installation of an air traffic flow management device, the first of its kind in the Middle East, where Air traffic controllers and all employees dealing with it were trained to use it efficiently, which helps controllers in arranging the arrival and departure of planes to and from Doha. Additionally, neighboring countries have been provided with a website about the hours of departure from their countries, called SLOT Departure Time, to meet the expected intensity of operation during the World Cup. In the aviation field, the number of agreements signed by the State of Qatar with various countries of the world reached 174 air transport agreements. Many agreements have been updated and transport rights have been increased to provide greater opportunities for investment by the national carrier. Through the promotional campaign to support the candidacy of the State of Qatar membership in the ICAO, current, and future regional agreements and memorandum of understanding (MoUs) have been established with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), and with several organizations in the Caribbean, Latin American and Pacific island countries, and most of the understandings were in the field of raising the efficiency of human resources, developing its capabilities to raise the level of services provided to the global aviation industry, he said. The Aviation Medicine Unit was established as a General Authority of Civil Aviation initiative within the framework of the country's general vision of caring for the human element, maximizing safety standards, and facing the increased demand for issuing licenses for aircrews and air traffic controllers, Al Hajri indicated. In turn, the field of meteorology witnessed a remarkable development. The number of meteorological stations reached 38, where 8 stations were installed in the World Cup stadiums. Coordination was made with the organizing committee of the tournament to provide the authority with reports and weather forecasts on regular basis and around the clock through a sophisticated and secure automated system. This is in addition to the launch of new services in the Qatar Weather application to serve the fans of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, In Charge of Managing CAA said. Within the framework of international relations, the authority supports all initiatives launched by ICAO. The State of Qatar provided scholarships to students in developing countries that are members of the organization to study at the Qatar Aeronautical Academy. The authority also launched the Qatar-African Cooperation Program in the field of developing human resources for civil aviation in Africa to train about 100 AFCAC trainees to build a base of human cadres capable of developing civil aviation activity in Africa to serve the global aviation industry, Al Hajri affirmed. Scholarships are also offered at the University of St. Gallen to obtain a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Environmental Sustainability for Civil Aviation for a group of employees of the civil aviation authorities in the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC). The State of Qatar contributed $100,000 to the ICAO initiative related to gender equality training courses in the field of civil aviation, to train female cadres from least-developed countries, he added. Concluding his statement to QNA, Al Hajri explained that, within the framework of its great efforts in the field of sustainability and environmental protection, the CAA continued to provide more training programs related to the carbon offsetting and reduction plan for international aviation (CORSIA), during the third phase of the ICAO's initiative to build capacities and training to implement the CORSIA plan and strengthening the role of the State of Qatar as a donor country selected by ICAO to provide direct assistance and the necessary training courses to implement CORSIA to a number of countries in the region that are preparing to implement it. (QNA)