AVIATION TRAINING
The explosive increase in airports and all things aviation in Saudi Arabia means growing demand for job training, from air traffic control to private pilot licensing.

How does Vision 2030 fit into your operations and services?
Fahad Sulaiman Al Harbi Training is increasingly needed to develop existing professionals or help newcomers to gain the needed skills. Of the jobs we offer, not only in aviation but in general, at least 50% of the jobs do not require a university degree. This is why technical and skills-based vocational training is key to the reforms in the education sector that Vision 2030 is implementing. In our field, the more airports we have, the higher the demand for skilled people in aviation, from ground handlers to services within the airport to the air traffic control tower. At SACA, we used to offer three-year diplomas, but we have shortened that to a one-year diploma because of the high demand. We will also offer a certification program with no diploma points; attendees can stay two or three months just to fill a gap. Some companies alone have around 10,000 jobs in ground handling in Saudi Arabia, so the demand for certification and training is huge, and we are adjusting to meet that need.
MANSOUR ALSHARIF We have created a landside area, which in aviation terms is the airport area one can walk into without any checkpoints. In the landside areas of any airport there are restaurants, commercial spaces, and leisure activities. We are investing in a larger portion of landside operations at the airport to allow for all our activities to be done on the landside, not on the airside. This will include facilities for family picnics and small air shows over the weekends. This fits with the entertainment goals under Vision 2030 and supports other sectors of the economy, such as transportation. We believe aviation can contribute a lot to the entertainment sector including discovery and sightseeing flights. Aside from training, everything else we do in aviation is entertainment. Vision 2030 has also attracted investment. RWAA currently has two big investments underway; we are developing our new campus and replacing our fleet.
What are your ambitions and expectations for the year ahead?
FSAH One of the plans that we have in 2017 is to make the academy a private company. That privatization will make us a more sales- and revenue-oriented organization. In the past, our main client was the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia, but now we have more than 20 different clients Kingdom wide. Now we are serving every airline, airport, and company that deals with airports and their subcontractors. We will have an International Air Transport Association (IATA) training session in Jeddah, which will be the first time it is public. It is no longer free, which signifies a major step for us. Officially we are not a private company just yet, so we do not do sales, but in 3Q2017, we will privatize. For 2017, we wish to triple our customer base and expand our partnerships with universities and academies internationally. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has conferences that it does every year in different countries, last year it was in Seoul and this year it is in Kenya; we wish to host it here in Jeddah.
MA We have three programs we want to introduce aside from the standard aviation training. We have the VIP private pilot license (PPL), which is a PPL program designed for professionals who want to have PPL training at home. By YE2017 we will also have a standard military conversion program. Under this program, we could convert a military pilot's license to a commercial pilot's license in 10 days with intensive training. We have already been successful with this program with several students in 2017 without even marketing the program yet. Finally, Skydive Saudi Arabia is going to start in January 2018. It is top in our priorities that this service will allow for female jumpers as well as males. This is going to be both for leisure and also for professional skydivers. It is a big program.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Column
YB Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office & Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei
TBY talks to YB Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, Minister at the Prime Minister's Office & Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei, on the sector.
read articleReview
A Crude Awakening
The Kingdom has made renewables a critical aspect of its ambitious Vision 2030 effort to diversify its economy and wean itself from a strictly carbon-based diet, not to mention empower local businesses and individuals to take up the mantle and lead the energy sector into the next generation.
read articleInterview
Abdulaziz AbdulKarim, Vice President of Procurement & Supply Chain Management (PSCM) , Saudi Aramco,
TBY talks to Abdulaziz AbdulKarim, Vice President of Procurement & Supply Chain Management (PSCM) at Saudi Aramco, on the IKTVA program, supporting local content, and looking back over a successful year.
read articleInterview
Ayman Abdullah Alfallaj, CEO, Thiqah
TBY talks to Ayman Abdullah Alfallaj, CEO of Thiqah, on how the private sector can keep pace with the speed of public reforms, delivering a strong and lasting value proposition, and integrating the fruits of privatization into the public sector.
read articleFocus: Technology Investments
Investment Calling
A technological revolution is underway in the Kingdom. Already one of the most tech-savvy nations in the Middle East, the Saudi market has long sought a thriving domestic technology and innovation scene. And with Vision 2030, it is on course to deliver just that.
read articleReview
A Hejaz Unhindered
An ambitious series of road and rail projects from the Jordanian border down to the Indian Ocean are slated to open in part before the end of 2017. They bring the Kingdom that much nearer to its goal of greater non-carbon-based economic integration with the world.
read articleInterview
Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Former Minister of Transport and Minister, Civil Service
TBY talks to Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Former Minister of Transport and current Minister of Civil Service, on an attractive legislative framework for investment, railway linkages, and port developments.
read articleInterview
Rumaih M. Al-Rumaih, President, Public Transport Authority (PTA
TBY talks to Rumaih M. Al-Rumaih, President of Public Transport Authority (PTA) & Acting President of Saudi Railway Organization, on teaming up with commercially committed partners, making sure the Kingdom's land and sea bridges are of the first order, and providing employment for all the Kingdom's inhabitants.
read articleInterview
Nabeel M. Al-Amudi, President, Saudi Ports Authority, and Minister of Transport
TBY talks to Nabeel M. Al-Amudi, Minister of Transport, and President of Saudi Ports Authority, on optimally restricting concession agreements, resolving bottlenecks in the logistics chain, and privatizing as rapidly as possible.
read articleInterview
Khaled Bin Abdullah Al Hogail, CEO & Managing Director , Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO)
TBY talks to Khaled Bin Abdullah Al Hogail, CEO & Managing Director of the Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO), on the importance of strong and rational regulations, knowledge transfers, and unifying public and private transportation networks.
read articleInterview
Imad El-Zein, CEO, Auto World-Sixt Saudi Arabia
TBY talks to Imad El-Zein, CEO of Auto World-Sixt Saudi Arabia, on growing market share in challenging circumstances, partnering with world-class players to boost its local presence, and combining better services with lower costs.
read articleInterview
Saleh H. Al-Ghamdi, Acting CEO, Saudi Air Navigation Services Company (SANS)
TBY talks to Saleh H. Al-Ghamdi, Acting CEO of Saudi Air Navigation Services Company (SANS), on maximizing safe and effective services, effectively increasing the rate of Saudization, and easing the pathway of women into the workforce.
read articleInterview
Khalil Kutubkhanah, CEO, Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC)
TBY talks to Ibrahim Khalil Kutubkhanah, CEO of Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC), on Jeddah's unplanned settlements, the company's redevelopment projects, and its partnership model with the private sector.
read articleInterview
Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Shaibani, Deputy Minister, Planning and Health & Director of the Vision Realization Office
TBY talks to Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Shaibani, Deputy Minister for Planning and Health & Director of the Vision Realization Office, on reforms within the Ministry of Health, the corporatization of healthcare provision, and transformations in care delivery.
read articleInterview
Mohanad A. Dahlan, CEO, University of Business and Technology (UBT) Company
TBY talks to Mohanad A. Dahlan, CEO of University of Business and Technology (UBT) Company, on the evolution of the company, education investments, and upcoming sectors that will need support from the sector.
read articleFocus: Universities
Broad and Deep
As part of the continuing decentralization of higher education in Saudi Arabia, individual universities are pursuing their own paths to grow their faculties, engage with various international stakeholders, and ultimately move toward a more privatized future.
read articleInterview
Rafique Izhiman, Area General Manager KSA Jeddah, Yanbu Hotels
TBY talks to Rafique Izhiman, Area General Manager KSA Jeddah/Yanbu Hotels & General Manager, Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), Jeddah, on the role the firm plays in the market, expanding its footprint in the country, and expectations for 2017.
read article