Saudi Arabia’s Authority for Civil Aviation is working to establish 6 new airports in the Kingdom for general aviation, announced the authority’s president, Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, reported Al Arabiya.
Al-Duailej added, in an interview with Al Arabiya Business, that the sector achieved unprecedented numbers in 2023, explaining that the aviation strategy aims to increase the number of passengers in the Kingdom from 100 million to more than 150 million.
He said that the second goal of the strategy is to increase air connectivity from about 100 direct stations to more than 250 direct stations by 2030.
The president also pointed out the goal of doubling the air freight capacity in the Kingdom, in addition to doubling the design capacity of cargo warehouses to 4.5 million tons, compared to less than one million tons in 2019.
In 2023, the Kingdom welcomed 112 million travelers, achieving an increase of 26%, according to Al-Duailej.
He said that the number of direct stations to which national or foreign carriers fly from the Kingdom’s airports increased from 99 stations to 148 stations in 2023.
The president said that the goals include increasing the contribution of general aviation to the local economy to more than 8 billion riyals in 2030. In addition, the Kingdom aims to open and liberalize the market and introducing additional investors into the general aviation sector to serve private aircraft, businessmen, tourism, and medical care.
Moreover, the Kingdom is working to inject liquidity into the infrastructure, and adding 9 new terminals to existing airports.
General Aviation Roadmap
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) intends to launch the general aviation roadmap during the Future Aviation Forum 2024, which Riyadh will host from May 20 to 22, reported Ajel.SA.
The authority aims to increase the general aviation sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product tenfold, to reach two billion dollars by 2030.
Related Topics
GACA to Launch General Aviation Roadmap during Future Aviation Forum 2024
Saudi Arabia Offers $100Bn Investment at Future of Aviation Conference 2024
GACA Unveils Saudi Aviation Sector’s Growth in 2023
