Saudi Ministers Urge To Ban Smoking at All Airports in Kingdom

The Council of Ministers in Saudi Arabia has urged the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to ban smoking at all airports and their facilities in the Kingdom. The council also advised GACA to impose a fine of 200 Saudi riyals on people who violate the new regulations.

Photo: Saudi Ministers Urge To Ban Smoking at All Airports in Kingdom

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defence and aviation, approved the recommendations of the 150-member Shoura Council, Zee News says.

Saudi Arabia ranks fourth in the world in terms of cigarette consumption and 41st in terms of population. As many as 13 billion cigarettes are imported into the Kingdom every year.

About 10 percent of the Kingdom’s total smokers are women and 19.3 percent are teenagers. Studies have shown that 13 to 15 percent of young men and women live with smokers and are subjected to passive smoking, Arab News informs.