Source: Arab News (sa)
Date: 2010-06-21
Author: ARAB NEWS

The Council of Ministers urged the General Authority of Civil
Aviation (GACA) to ban smoking at all airports and their
facilities in the Kingdom on Monday. It also advised GACA to
impose a fine of SR200 on people who violate the new
regulations.

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

Although the Kingdom passed anti-smoking regulations in August
2003, the habit is growing among its population. There are six
million smokers in the country who puff away SR8 billion every
year. According to one report, smoking-related diseases kill at
least 33 people in the Kingdom each month.

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.