Why does Saudi Arabia need 'silent airport'?

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 that it will be transforming the airport into its first silent airport, the Saudi Gazette reported.

According to the report, there will no longer be any announcements about take-off, boarding of passengers, the last call for passengers and the like.

But why does Saudi Arabia need a silent airport?

This initiative aims to enhance the typical environment free of the noise of voices, to keep up with the best global practices applied in several international airports around the world.

In a statement, the airport administration said that this practice has been applied in several airports around the world, including Singapore's Changi International Airport, Zurich International Airport, Dubai International Airport, Amsterdam International Airport, and London City International Airport.

The airport management said that it will begin to get rid of the announcement of flight details during the boarding of passengers.

The passengers will be provided with relevant accurate information through flight display screens, besides displaying flight information on boarding gates before opening the gate for the boarding of passengers.

Additionally, there will be an awareness campaign on the silent airport concept to clarify and draw the attention of travellers to the absence of voice calls at the airport.

The management said that a voice call system will only be used in some emergencies such as cancellation or delay of flights or any other announcements of importance to passengers.