Riyadh and Montreal: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has concluded participation in a successful 41st International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly, where Saudi Arabia won election to the ICAO Council for the 2023-25 term by securing support from more than 90 per cent of voting countries – a historic result.

The Saudi delegation was led by Minister of Transport and Logistics and General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Chairman His Excellency Saleh Al-Jasser, and with the participation of GACA President His Excellency Abdulaziz Al-Duailej.

HE Saleh Al-Jasser commented on Saudi Arabia’s victory, stating:

“Saudi Arabia’s election to the ICAO Council reflects the Kingdom's vision and leadership across the transport and logistics sector in general and the civil aviation sector in particular. The Kingdom has received wide international endorsement during the 41st Assembly in recognition of the pioneering role the Kingdom plays in the global aviation sector.

“The Saudi delegation has also materially supported Vision 2030 and the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, through six major bilateral agreement signings including with ICAO, China, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco and Kazakhstan, which will support greater connectivity and international investment between Saudi Arabia and the world.”

Commenting on the event, GACA President HE Abdulaziz Al-Duailej said:

“The Saudi Aviation Strategy’s vision is for the Kingdom to lead the sector in the Middle East. At the ICAO 41st Assembly, Saudi Arabia has taken not only a regional but a global leadership role. The Harmonizing Air Travel policy has been endorsed by the ICAO Assembly, a signature achievement given the Kingdom led the development of this policy at the Future Aviation Forum in May, whilst Saudi Arabia has also been announced as host of ICAO’s 2023 global Air Services Negotiation event. These achievements reflect the strength of our aviation sector, and we look forward to shaping the future of global aviation.”

Saudi Arabia’s participation at the 41st ICAO Assembly featured several milestones. In addition to the Kingdom’s election to the ICAO Council for 2023-25, GACA was announced as the host for the December 2023 annual ICAO Air Navigation Event that supports 160 countries in negotiating aviation agreements. The GACA delegation held more than 30 bilateral meetings, including six bilateral agreements signed with ICAO, China, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, and Kazakhstan. Airports Council International announced Riyadh as its regional headquarters during the Conference.

Saudi Arabia committed $1 million to ICAO’s No Country Left Behind initiative during the Assembly, and the ICAO Assembly endorsed Saudi Arabia’s Harmonizing Air Travel and Airports Quality Index working papers, with Saudi supporting nine working papers during the event. The Saudi Academy of Civil Aviation received three accreditation renewals from ICAO, and Saudi Arabia’s representative was appointed to hold the first Vice-Chair of the ICAO Technical Committee.

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About the Saudi Aviation Strategy

The Saudi Aviation Strategy is an ambitious strategy which will transform the entire Saudi aviation ecosystem. Its goal is to create a global investment environment that empowers the sector’s contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP. 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 and in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy.

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.

For more details please contact Leanne O'Rourkes 
lvo@consulum.com