Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) showcased its strategy and vision for global connectivity at the 16th ICAO Air Services Negotiation Event (ICAN 2024) taking place from October 21-25, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The event, which is a unique platform for global aviation leaders to conduct bilateral, regional or multilateral air services negotiations, welcomed over 700 delegates and industry leaders on the first day, and saw more than 80 states attending.

GACA, represented by Executive Vice President of Air Transport and International Cooperation Ali bin Mohammed Rajab, highlighted the kingdom’s progress during a panel discussion held at the start of the event.

“The kingdom’s aviation journey has been nothing short of transformative,” said Rajab.

“The hosting of ICAN last year in Riyadh demonstrates the unprecedented opportunities for investment in Saudi aviation, bringing the kingdom a step closer to achieving the ambitions set out by Vision 2030.”

ICAN 2024, GACA will discuss bilateral agreements, air service agreements and MoUs with a range of states.

These are aimed at strengthening the kingdom’s bilateral cooperation in air transport and strengthen its hub-to-hub collaboration.

Earlier this year, GACA signed key agreements with China, Singapore and the UK, elevating the kingdom’s connectivity and boosting economic growth under Saudi Vision 2030.

“These relationships are central to expanding our connectivity to 250 destinations worldwide by 2030 along with tripling passenger numbers to 330 million per year.”

The kingdom continues to make significant progress towards these targets, serving 62 million passengers during the first half of 2024, up by 17% compared to the same period in 2023.

GACA also used the opportunity to provide an update to ICAN 2024 on major developments which underpin the Kingdom’s progress under SAS – including the King Salman International Airport masterplan in Riyadh and advancing several public-private partnership (PPP) projects across the Kingdom.

Other key projects of interest to attendees included the Medina Airport expansion and the launch of Riyadh Air, a pivotal move for the Kingdom to establish Riyadh as one of the world’s top 10 city economies. – TradeArabia News Service