The Aviation Investigation Bureau (AIB) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to use its advanced facilities and research expertise in the event of aviation incidents.
AIB is an independent government organization with the mission to advance safety and conduct independent investigations into aviation accidents. AIB reports directly to Chairman of Board of Directors of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), H.E. Sulaiman Al-Hamdan. This agreement with KAUST decreases dependence on international resources to utilize the expertise and facilities within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“The Core Laboratories and Major facilities at KAUST are well equipped to support AIB in their aircraft accident and incident investigations. Our state-of-the-art laboratories were established with the needs of Saudi Arabia in mind and this collaboration with AIB reinforces our commitment to make our laboratories accessible to our in-Kingdom partners to serve national priorities,” said Justin Mynar , The Director of the KAUST Core Laboratories and Major Facilities.
In discharging its functions of improving aviation safety, AIB conducts impartial investigations and makes safety recommendations based on systematic processes. “AIB investigations are conducted in accordance with international standards and we chose to partner with KAUST for their leading scientific expertise and capabilities to aid in the fact finding and validation of data/theory of accidents and incidents. The data and results from KAUST will provide AIB with valuable information to generate safety recommendations, thus improving civil aviation safety,” said AIB Director General, Abdulelah Felemban.