RIYADH: US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has inked an agreement with Saudi Arabia to explore partnerships and investments in the advanced air mobility sector.<\/p>\r\n
A\u00a0 memorandum of understanding was signed in Washington, D.C. by a delegation from the Kingdom\u2019s civil aviation sector, led by Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, according to a press statement.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Strengthening the aviation sector is one of the crucial goals outlined in Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 agenda, as the Kingdom is trying to position itself as a global hub of business and tourism by the end of this decade.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Saudi Arabia\u2019s National Tourism Strategy aims to attract 150 million annual visitors by 2030, while also increasing the sector\u2019s contribution to the Kingdom\u2019s gross domestic product to more than 10 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Commenting on the MoU with Boeing, Sulaiman Al-Muhaimidi, GACA\u2019s executive vice president for Aviation Safety and Environmental Sustainability, said: \u201cThis partnership with Boeing reflects GACA\u2019s commitment to creating safer, smarter skies through advanced air mobility innovation. The effort further cements Saudi Arabia at the forefront of the future of aviation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
During the visit, the Saudi delegation visited the Federal Aviation Administration and the headquarters of Boeing in Washington, as well as the Dreamliner facility in Charleston, South Carolina, where the company builds the 787 Dreamliner.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
The authority added that collaboration opportunities in civil aviation, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance services, sustainability, and advanced technologies initiatives were among the many topics discussed during the visit to the US.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
GACA added that the visit also aimed to enhance cooperation with the US in knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and localization of the aviation industry, in line with the Kingdom\u2019s goal of becoming \u201ca global industrial and logistics hub in aviation as part of its economic diversification.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Saudi Arabia\u2019s National Aviation Strategy targets doubling passenger capacity to 330 million annually from over 250 global destinations and increasing cargo handling to 4.5 million tonnes by 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
\u201cBy engaging with global aviation regulators and manufacturers, GACA is supporting Vision 2030 objectives to strengthen Saudi Arabia\u2019s role as a hub connecting three continents, delivering greater connectivity and travel experiences for the Kingdom\u2019s passengers,\u201d said Al-Duailej.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
He added: \u201cWith new Saudi airlines being launched, record aircraft orders, and a focus on innovation and sustainability, the visit highlights the unprecedented opportunities being created by the Kingdom and underscores the strong Saudi\u2013US aviation partnership.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Saudi Arabia\u2019s Riyadh Air, the second flag carrier of the Kingdom, is expected to commence its operations by this year.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Announced in 2023 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Riyadh Air is expected to contribute over $20 billion to the non-oil gross domestic product and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
In June, the airline\u2019s CEO, Tony Douglas, told Bloomberg that it plans to launch a new international destination every two months once operations begin, as it prepares to take delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
The carrier currently has four Boeing 787 Dreamliners in different stages of assembly at Boeing\u2019s facility in Charleston, South Carolina.<\/p>\r\n
In addition, Riyadh Air announced at the Paris Air Show in June that it will purchase up to 50 Airbus A350 long-range aircraft, with deliveries expected to start in 2030.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RIYADH: US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has inked an agreement with Saudi Arabia to explore partnerships and investments in the advanced air mobility sector. A\u00a0 memorandum of understanding was signed in Washington, D.C. by a delegation from the Kingdom\u2019s civil aviation sector, led by Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, according to a press statement.\u00a0 Strengthening the aviation sector is one of the crucial goals outlined in Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 agenda, as the Kingdom is trying to position itself as a global hub of business and tourism by the end of this decade.\u00a0 Saudi Arabia\u2019s National<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11169],"tags":[13117,13118,13122,13124,13125],"class_list":["post-94","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-en-category-news","tag-interview","tag-journal","tag-politics","tag-wordpress","tag-world"],"yoast_head":"\n