Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamni, announced in a radio interview that the first flight from Qlayaat Airport is scheduled to take off at the beginning of October, heading to Saudi Arabia, as previously promised.
He noted a 11.5% decrease in passenger numbers compared to last August, but considered the drop minor, linking it to the ongoing state of war.
Rasamni revealed that the vacancy rate in the ministry exceeds 86% and highlighted the need for 50 engineers. However, current employment is not feasible due to insufficient salaries, prompting the ministry to seek support from donor organizations.
The minister also announced preparations for a contract to delegate airport operations to private companies, in exchange for their commitment to invest in its maintenance and development.