RIYADH: The second day of the inaugural Future Aviation Forum is taking place in Saudi Arabia, with more than 2,000 attendees expected.
The two-day event, being held in Riyadh, will see leaders from the public and business sectors mix with international CEOs and regulators as the aviation industry aims to resolve post-pandemic issues and shape future international air travel.
The forum is hosted by the General Authority of Civil Aviation, and will feature more than 120 speakers.
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Feeling Supersonic: The CEO of Saudi Arabian Airlines, also known as SAUDIA, believes supersonic travel and flying cars are among the developments key to the sector's future. “Supersonic is coming at some point. Who is going to deploy it is another issue," he said.
Aramco Developments: Aramco executive Fahad Abdul Kareem revealed that Aramco now has 50 aircraft and has developed 12 airports. He also added that Aramco is supporting the offshore business of the oil and gas industry with around 400 helicopters.
Pandemic Bounceback: The aviation sector, rebounding now after the pandemic, will deliver SR280 billion ($75 billion) to Saudi Arabia’s national Gross Domestic Product by 2030, said Faisal Al-Ibrahim, minister of economy. During his speech to the forum, the minister noted that the pandemic resulted in a loss of $52 billion to the aviation sector.
