The Saudi Academy of Civil Aviation received 79 Yemeni air traffic controllers who were trained and readied to work in a number of Yemeni airports.

This came as part of the cooperation between the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and its counterpart in Yemen.

The Saudi Academy of Civil Aviation has allocated 1,200 training hours for Yemeni air traffic controllers, which have included several training packages covering various air traffic control specialties, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The academy started receiving the first batch of Yemeni air traffic controllers in mid-2017, intensive programs for the trainees were developed and scheduled according to their needs.

The needs were not limited to the specialization of air traffic control, but included other specializations, such as, aviation systems maintenance, airport safety and operation, aviation security and fire and rescue.

The cooperation between the two countries in the fields of air transport comes as an extension of the role being played by Saudi Arabia towards its brothers, as the General Authority of Civil Aviation is proud to use all of its capabilities for its brothers in Yemen, whether by holding training courses, workshops, or specialized seminars in the fields of aviation and air transportation.

According to SPA, the qualification process of the Yemeni air traffic controllers at the Saudi Civil Aviation Academy reflects the Kingdom's scientific standing in the field of aviation science training, especially since the Saudi Academy of Civil Aviation has seven international accreditations from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).