Saudi civil aviation authorities have reported significant growth in the number of passengers and flights for the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.

There was a 17% increase in the number of passengers over the past six months, reaching approximately 62 million passengers, compared to 53 million passengers during the same period last year, while the number of flights rose to 446,000, marking a 12% increase over last year, which saw 399,000 flights, reported SPA, citing data from General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

Additionally, the airfreight volume in the first six months of 2024 witnessed a 41% increase, reaching 606,000 tons compared to the 430,000 tons in the same period of 2023, it stated.

During the first half of this year, GACA launched several development projects, including the expansion of Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport, the inauguration of the development and expansion of Al-Ahsa International Airport, the launch of the new additional international departure terminal at Taif International Airport, and the introduction of the self-driving air taxi experience for the first time during the Hajj season.

Furthermore, the authority granted the first operating permit for building cleaning using drones, which illustrates its commitment to enabling safe and innovative advanced air mobility solutions.

It also launched a knowledge-testing center for aviation personnel and the first phase of electronic gates at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, said the report.

In terms of service quality provided to passengers, GACA won two gold awards for Best Customer Service and Best Public Service Center in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, the Consumer Protection Association award for excellence in protecting passengers' rights, and the certificate in the quality management system for monitoring flight safety and environmental sustainability.

The aviation sector saw several achievements in the past six months, including 16 Saudi airports obtaining the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Service Quality (ASQ) accreditation for 2024, reported SPA.

Additionally, Saudi airports continued their progress in ranking among the top 50 airports worldwide, as announced in the evaluation results of the international air transport rating organization Skytrax.

According to GACA, Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah won the top award as the best regional airport in the Middle East at the Skytrax World Airport Awards ceremony held in Frankfurt, Germany, and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah achieved the highest ratings on the Airports Council International list for 2023.

Moreover, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam won three of the Saudi Airports Awards for 2023, including the award for the best airport in the category 5-15 million passengers, the award for the best customs inspection area, and the award for the best services for people with disabilities.

Saudia also received recognition, winning awards for being the most advanced airline in the world and having the best economy-class catering for 2024 in the Skytrax global ranking.

According to Skytrax, Flynas was crowned the fourth-best low-cost airline in the world for the second consecutive year and the first in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive year, the most important global benchmark for measuring airline performance.

All these achievements are part of the initiatives and programs launched by GACA, aiming to contribute to the development of the air transport industry locally, regionally, and internationally, in line with the National Strategy for the Civil Aviation Sector, stated the SPA report.

The strategy aims to make the aviation sector in the Kingdom the first in the Middle East by reaching 330 million passengers, increasing air freight capacity to 4.5 million tons, and raising air connectivity to reach 250 destinations to and from Saudi airports by 2030, it added.

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