The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority is poised to present a strategic blueprint for General Aviation during the Future Aviation Forum (FAF 2024) in May, aiming to augment the general aviation sector’s contribution to the GDP by ten times, reaching a milestone of US$2 billion by the year 2030.
This comprehensive strategy will encompass the business jet industry, including the charter, private, and corporate jet segments, thereby propelling the nation’s stature as a premier destination for high-value business and tourism activities.
Reflecting an optimistic outlook on tourism, the country recalibrated its 2030 tourism objectives last October, increasing the visitor target from 100 million to an ambitious 150 million by 2030.
Abdulaziz Al Duailej, President of the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority, emphasized the significance of general aviation in enhancing sectors pivotal to the Saudi economy such as tourism, business, and entertainment events. “The General Aviation roadmap is set to energize the sector by transforming its infrastructure and regulations while simultaneously developing, promoting, and enhancing general aviation services within the market,” he stated.
Al Duailej also expressed eagerness to welcome investors, operators, and service providers in the general aviation arena to the forum, where the detailed plan will be introduced to an international audience.
The upcoming strategy aims to bolster support for stakeholders in private aviation, including aircraft owners, lessors, investors, operators, and service providers, through a synergy of infrastructure investments and streamlined regulatory processes.
This follows the Civil Aviation Authority’s previous move to lift ’empty-leg restrictions’ and simplify economic licensing prerequisites for general aviation operators and investors in October 2023 as part of efforts to energize the sector.
Set to reconvene in Riyadh from May 20-22, 2024, FAF 2024 is expected to draw in around 5,000 specialists and luminaries in aviation from more than 100 nations, featuring a diverse group of ministers, regulators, manufacturers, airlines, and airport authorities.