RIYADH — Chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Abdulaziz Al-Duailej has revealed that the operational performance of the civil aviation sector in Saudi Arabia continued its success stories. This came during the 13th meeting of the Steering Committee to Activate the National Strategy for the Aviation Sector, which was held by GACA, led by Al-Duailej, in the presence of vice presidents, CEOs, officials and directors, representatives of national companies and carriers operating in the civil aviation sector in Saudi Arabia, in the city of Abha in the Asir region. After the record numbers of passengers and flights during 2023, the sector registered a 17% increase in the number of passengers in the first half of 2024, to reach 62 million, Al-Duailej said in a speech during the meeting. There was a 12% increase in the number of flights to reach 446,000 flights and a 41% increase in the volume of air freight to reach 606,000 tons until the end of June, he added. During the first half of 2024, compared to the same period last year, Abha International Airport achieved a growth rate in the number of passengers estimated at 12%, and the number of flights index witnessed an increase of 3% growth over last year with 15,442 flights. This contributes to the growth and strengthening of the leadership of the Asir region as an attractive global destination. The objectives of national strategies consistent with Saudi Vision 2030 have been achieved, such as Asir Strategy "Qimam and Shaim", the National Aviation Strategy, which aims to increase the number of destinations to 250 and the number of passengers to 330 million. The objective of the National Tourism Strategy, through the general plan for Abha Airport announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is to increase the capacity from 1.5 million to 13 million passengers. More than 100 companies have expressed their interest in participating in this project in partnership with the public sector. The Chairman of GACA reviewed the authority's efforts during the Hajj season of 1445, noting that the sector contributed to implementing a comprehensive plan to achieve safe and smooth passage for all pilgrims who visited Saudi Arabia by air to perform the pilgrimage. Air passengers constitute 97% of the total number of pilgrims to the House of God. He pointed out that the season also witnessed the Authority's supervision of the implementation of the first air taxi experiment in Saudi Arabia in Makkah and the granting of the first license for this type of vehicle in the world. In addition, the Authority granted the first operational permit to clean building facades using drones. The meeting also discussed the most prominent developments in activating the national strategy for the aviation sector, what has been accomplished regarding the recommendations of the 12th meeting of the Steering Committee for activating the strategy, and the achievements of the strategies of national companies and carriers operating in Saudi airports. The national strategy for the aviation sector aims to double the capacity and reach more than 330 million passengers annually to more than 250 destinations in the world, in addition to raising the cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons by the year 2030.
