Special counters for women to process their passports will soon be established at King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah, the newly appointed director general of Makkah Province’s Passports Department (Jawazat) has said.

“A number of female passports officials have been appointed and will be trained to serve the women travelers at the airport according to the teachings of the Islamic Shariah,” Brig. Khalaf Allah Bin Obaidullah Al-Tuwairgi said.

King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh has already prepared special counters to process the passports of women travelers.

The counters will be manned by women passports officials. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah has appointed 40 Saudi women, who have been rigorously trained, to work at the special counters for female travelers.
A day after his appointment in this position, Al-Tuwairgi made an inspection tour of the airport on Monday.

He denied any possibility of visas being issued at the airport on arrival. “The issuance of entry visas is the sole prerogative of the high authorities,” he added.

He said there is a quantitative leap in the work of the Jawazat including the electronic services that are now being provided to customers.

“The Jawazat is keen to provide the best of services to citizens and expatriates,” he added.

Al-Tuwairgi was director general of the Taif Passports Department. He was also director of the Jawazat at KAIA and worked for the authority in the Eastern Province.

Last month, a new dress code was implemented for Passports Department (Jawazat) officers at immigration counters at the airports. They now wear the traditional thobe instead of military uniform.

The national dress consists of the traditional thobe, ghutra (headscarf) and iqal (black head ribbon).

The staff also have to wear black shoes and black socks and put on their badges. The decision has been implemented at first at the international airports of Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah and Dammam before it is gradually introduced in all the Kingdom’s air, sea and land inlets.

The objective behind the change in dress code is the motivation to promote the Saudi identity, spokesperson for Passports Department Lt. Col. Ahmed Al-Luhaidan was quoted as saying in a section of the Arabic press.

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