Glitch delays flights from Jeddah

A five-hour technical glitch in the data systems at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah caused the delay of 20 percent of flights on Saturday, according to a media report on Monday.
Turki Al-Deeb, director of public relations and information at the airport, said the system was down from 4:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., which had resulted in the delay of some flights.
Meanwhile, Tariq Abdul-Jabbar, deputy assistant for domestic airports at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), said that the summer holidays have seen a growth in demand for international flights, with 1,010 now added at 10 regional airports with links to the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Kuwait.
He said GACA, under the instructions of Minister of Transport Sulaiman Al-Hamdan, was working to improve services at the country’s airports and ensure their self sufficiency. 
“At the same time, we want to provide easy options for passengers by giving them the opportunity to travel to neighboring countries without the trouble of having to go to international airports,” he said.
He said the summer schedule includes 272 weekly flights from Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Airport in Qasim, 128 from Abha Regional Airport, 206 from Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Yanbu, 162 from Taif International Airport, 70 from Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, and 34 from King Abdullah Airport in Jazan.

Source : Arab News