Next time you visit Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport, try not to sleep if you don't want to miss a flight.
Earlier this week, the kingdom announced it will transform the airport into its first silent airport, Saudi Gazette reported.
According to the report, there will no longer be announcements regarding takeoff, passenger boarding, passenger last call and the like.
But why does Saudi Arabia need a silent airport?
This initiative aims to improve the typical environment free of voice noise, to keep up with global best practices applied in various international airports around the world.
In a statement, the airport management said that this practice has been applied at several airports around the world, including Singapore Changi International Airport, Zurich International Airport, Dubai International Airport, Amsterdam International Airport and London City International Airport.
Airport management said it will begin removing the announcement of flight details during passenger boarding.
Passengers will receive relevant and accurate information through flight display screens, in addition to displaying flight information at boarding gates before opening the door for passenger boarding.
In addition, an awareness campaign on the silent airport concept will be carried out to clarify and draw the attention of travelers to the absence of voice calls at the airport.
Management said a voice calling system will only be used in some emergencies, such as flight cancellation or delay or any other announcement of importance to passengers.
