Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector has made significant strides at the 54th Paris Air Show by signing multi-billion-dollar aircraft deals, showcasing investment prospects in the industry, and outlining a strategy for civil aviation, the country’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced Sunday.
GACA said a major highlight at the Air Show was the multi-billion-dollar aircraft orders placed by Saudi airlines. Low-cost carrier flynas firmed up an order with Airbus for 30 new A320neo family aircraft, taking the airline’s total order with Airbus to 120 A320neo aircraft, including 10 A321XLRs. The board also aims to increase its aircraft order book to 250 planes shortly as it continues expanding.
The Kingdom’s national airline Saudia added 30 more aircraft to its order, with Boeing taking the total firm order to 65. The airline plans to take the tally to a hundred in the near future.
The air show also became the venue for the launch of the first look of Riyadh Air. The airline’s purple livery was unveiled on the opening day of the event.
“Saudi Arabia is witnessing a rapid surge in air passenger traffic, both domestic and international, over the past few years. As part of the strategy, the Kingdom aims to enhance its air connectivity to 250 destinations worldwide, transporting 330 million passengers by 2030,” said GACA. It also intends to serve as a global logistics hub by doubling its air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tonnes by the decade’s end.
The Saudi delegation at the air show was led by the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and GACA Chairman of the Board of Directors, Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and GACA President Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej.
