Arab News, Sat, Feb 24, 2024 | Shaban 14, 1445
Saudi Arabia and China explore investment opportunities in civil aviation
Saudi Arabia:
Economic cooperation in Saudi-China civil aviation is set to strengthen, with
top officials meeting in Beijing to discuss investment opportunities and
technology transfer for industry advancements.
This comes as a high-level delegation, led by
Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, president of the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil
Aviation, began a visit to the Asian country, convening a joint round table
meeting to explore cooperation in connectivity and discuss partnership aspects
across various areas.
Furthermore, both nations discussed the
exploration of innovative solutions in aviation, including sustainable fuels,
advanced air mobility, and traffic management systems.
They expressed interest in integrating artificial
intelligence and digital technologies to enhance the aviation experience and
operational efficiency.
Additionally, the Saudi delegation emphasized
substantial investments in the sector and reiterated the Kingdom’s openness to
further opportunities.
This aligns with GACA’s goal of modernizing the
airport system and supports the Kingdom’s tourism sector target of attracting
150 million visitors by 2030.
Al-Duailej highlighted the Kingdom’s success in
initiating substantial investments in airline and airport infrastructure, such
as the establishment of Riyadh Air as a new national carrier.
He also emphasized the launch of the master plan
for King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, alongside several other
strategic investments in the sector’s infrastructure.
The GACA president also underscored that, in line
with the National Aviation Strategy, Saudi Arabia aims to enhance air
connectivity to 250 destinations, serving 330 million passengers, and to double
air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons by 2030.
Al-Duailej concluded the meeting by highlighting
the upcoming Saudi Airport Exhibition scheduled to take place in Riyadh later
this year.
He elaborated that the two-day event will assess
the ongoing growth of the sector in the presence of global leaders in the
aviation industry.
Consequently, the president urged Chinese firms to
explore investment opportunities in the Kingdom and join the country’s efforts
to reshape the future of global aviation.
The overarching goal of the 11-day tour, which
also includes visits to Singapore and the US, is to enhance travel options,
promote tourism, and facilitate cultural and commercial exchange between the
countries.