Acting President of the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) Mohamed Faleh Alhajri
Doha: Acting President of the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA)Mohamed Faleh Alhajri 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 QNA on the State’s National Day, Alhajri 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.
“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 QCAA in 2022, Alhajri noted that this year had many important achievements most prominently, was 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 Qatar’s pivotal role in the aviation industry.
On September 8, 2022, 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 Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and 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 into and departing from Qatar became 17 separate routes to achieve more fluidity in movement and a greater guarantee of safety, Alhajri added.
To increase the capacity for take-off and landing operations during the World Cup, 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. Air traffic management simulator tests were also conducted to ensure their safe and smooth implementation, he said.
Alhajri said that important and comprehensive development plans have been implemented related to Qatari airspace, and modernisation of all systems and technologies, including radars used in air navigation.
