• The delegation will introduce several global policies that reconnect the world during the Assembly, and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s connectivity and travel infrastructure arrangements through more than forty bilateral meetings scheduled during the event.

Montreal: The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) is participating in a high-level delegation headed by His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, supported by the GACA President, His Excellency Abdulaziz Al Duailej, with representatives from across the globe in Montreal this week at the 41st International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly, taking real steps to reconnect the world through partnerships and seamless air travel policies.

The Saudi delegation will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s connectivity and travel infrastructure arrangements with other countries, through more than 40 bilateral meetings and more than 20 events scheduled during the triennial event.

His Excellency Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, said: “Saudi Arabia’s global leadership role is reflected in our position as an ICAO Council Member and through our participation in the ICAO 41st Assembly. In support of Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics, Saudi Arabia is transforming our aviation sector to drive international trade and to connect the world. We look forward to shaping the future of global aviation at the Assembly.” 

GACA President, His Excellency Al Duailej, stated: “The ICAO 41st Assembly is a global occasion to promote the unprecedented opportunities being created through the Saudi Aviation Strategy. The strategy is enabling Saudi Arabia to propose new policies to support the global aviation recovery and the signing of bilateral agreements that increase connectivity and investment between Saudi Arabia and the world.” 

Saudi Arabia continues to support the efforts of the ICAO, through pledging assistance to developing countries, least developed countries and island states, in the field of air safety and civil aviation security, the most recent of which was the Kingdom’s pledge of one million US dollars to support the “No Country Left Behind” initiative and other ICAO activities, all of which had a positive effect in raising the level of civil aviation safety and security in the Middle East and Africa as well as promoting the development of human resources in this vital and important sector.

Saudi Arabia’s participation coincides with huge milestones being achieved by the Kingdom’s aviation sector during 2022, including four Saudi airports receiving accolades at the Skytrax 2022 World Airport Awards, and the completion of the institutional transformation of 25 airports in the Kingdom to consolidate Saudi Arabia’s position as a global center for air, sea and land linkage between the three continents of the world.

In preparation for the 41st Assembly, on Saturday 24 September GACA Vice President for Economic Policies and International Cooperation Mr. Ali Rajab took a leading role in the ICAO Innovation Fair, presenting Saudi Arabia’s Harmonizing Air Travel policy to a panel discussion on ‘Innovations & regulations for a more resilient aviation system: challenges and lessons learned’. The Innovation Fair brought together representatives of Member States, private sector, academia, UN and non-governmental organizations for substantive conversations on innovation in aviation and its benefits to society.

The ICAO 41st Assembly begins on Tuesday 27 September and runs until Friday 7 October, with 193 member states invited to the event. Elections for the 36-member council, of which Saudi Arabia is currently a member, will also be held for the 2022-25 period.

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About the Saudi Aviation Strategy

The Saudi Aviation Strategy is an ambitious strategy with privatization at its heart, which will transform the entire KSA aviation ecosystem. Its goal is to create a global investment environment that empowers the sector’s contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP, while enabling the National Tourism Strategy and meeting the Kingdom’s growing cargo needs. It aims to lead Saudi Arabia to become the number one aviation sector in the Middle East by 2030, driven by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The strategy is backed by private sector and government investments and is developing Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation sector across the Kingdom’s airports, airlines and aviation support services. This includes extending connectivity from 99 to more than 250 destinations across 29 airports, tripling annual passenger traffic to 330 million, including two global long-haul connecting hubs, and increasing air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tonnes. 

The Saudi Aviation Strategy provides opportunities for the people of Saudi Arabia, opening access and improving ease of travel and customer experience, directly creating jobs within the sector and by enabling the tourism strategy, and empowering local businesses to expand and build a new skills base.

Led by the Kingdom’s regulator, the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), the strategy will elevate Saudi aviation by supporting industries that fall under the civil aviation sector to enable their ability to adapt to global change, enhance their competitiveness and raise the level of services provided to passengers with a focus on creating a sustainable future.