RIYADH — The General Authority of Civil Aviation unveiled on Tuesday a slew of measures to enhance the safety of civil aviation, Saudi Press Agency reported. The measures announced by Abdulhadi Bin Ahmed Al-Mansouri, president of the GACA, include among other things a general exception allowing extension of the validity periods of licenses, certifications, and certificates for air crew members, trainers, examiners and air dispatchers with an aim to provide an acceptable level of safety. The move comes as part of the efforts taken by GACA to develop the civil aviation sector in partnership with its stakeholders and in line with the latest international practices during the current circumstances. Under this procedure, civil aviation companies and aviation crews are given the flexibility to cope with the pressures arising out the coronavirus pandemic, which is encouraged by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and welcomed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It is worth mentioning that these measures are the first set of a group of measures the GACA intends to take. This is part of the efforts to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the Saudi aviation sector, covering airports, air navigation services, aircraft maintenance license holders, aircraft worthiness and ground service providers. Speaking on the occasion, the GACA president stressed that the safety of passengers is a high priority for the authority as a regulator of the Saudi aviation sector. He also said that the authority is constantly following up on the coronavirus developments and its potential fallout in cooperation with the national airlines to work proactively to ensure the safety of operation during the crisis and also the return to the natural traffic with the highest degree of safety.