Saudi to host the Future Aviation Forum from May 20
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Riyadh: His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, confirmed that the third Future Aviation Forum will be held in Riyadh from May 20 to 22, 2024. The theme for this year’s conference is “Elevating global connectivity.” More than 5,000 senior officials and leaders of the world’s aviation sectors and heads of international airlines are set to participate in the event.
Al-Jasser said, “The sponsorship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God protect him - for this major forum comes as an extension of the unlimited support that the aviation sector enjoys from the wise leadership, and is based on Saudi Arabia’s leading position in the aviation and air transport industry.”
He said, “Holding the conference for the third time in Riyadh signifies the Kingdom’s commitment to empower the air transport industry and its contributions to the aviation sector internationally. It also highlights the Kingdom’s dedicated efforts to enhance air connectivity, in accordance with the objectives of the Saudi Aviation Strategy stemming from the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics and Saudi Vision 2030.”
Al-Jasser stated that the aviation sector in the Kingdom offers unparalleled economic and investment opportunities in the field of aviation globally, as the Saudi aviation strategy aims to double the number of passengers, connect the Kingdom to more than 250 destinations around the world, raise the level of freight to 4.5 million tons of goods annually, and establish Saudi Arabia as an international aviation hub and a global logistics center.
The Minister pointed out that major projects under development in the transport and logistics sector make the Kingdom an attractive area for investment. The projects are also essential enabling factors in the country’s broader economic transformation plan. In fact, the Future of Aviation Forum will review investment opportunities worth more than $100 billion, with the aim of transforming the Kingdom into a leading logistics center in the Middle East and thereby contributing to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Al-Jasser added that this major package of development projects also offers promising opportunities for partnership and integration between the public and private sectors. Such initiatives will support economic growth and contribute to sustainable development.
The conference will provide a unique platform to discuss the future of the global aviation sector and ways to contribute to new and unprecedented growth opportunities. The event will also be a forum to discuss the main elements that will reshape the future of the global aviation sector, such as air transport, promoting environmental sustainability in the field of civil aviation, enabling advanced air mobility, enhancing global connectivity, and working to strengthen supply chains.
The Future Aviation Forum will also focus on a number of issues facing the global aviation sector and ways to confront priority challenges.
GACA’s organization of the Future Aviation Forum 2024, which is the most prominent global aviation event this year, comes after an exceptional year for air traffic in the Kingdom. During 2023, the country recorded approximately 112 million passengers traveling through its various airports, an increase of 26%.