RIYADH: The European Commission will sign a comprehensive air transport agreement with Saudi Arabia in a bid to strengthen aviation ties with the Kingdom.
Following comprehensive air transport agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries like Qatar and Oman, the European Commission has expressed interest in striking similar deals with Saudi Arabia, revealed Henrik Hololei, director-general at the commission’s department for mobility and transport.
“We initiated the comprehensive air transport agreement with Oman. And I hope that next would be perhaps Saudi Arabia because Europe will be a critical market for the Kingdom and aviation for the future,” Hololei told Arab News on the sidelines of the Future Aviation Forum underway in Riyadh.
Hololei believes innovation in the global aviation industry is pushed by competition, estimating that by 2050 the number of travelers will increase by 40 percent.
He said sustainability and affordability would be key drivers for the recovery of the air transport industry in a post-COVID-19 world.
“What we also see is robust demand from the customer. And I think this is a good thing, it’s a good trend, and it shows one thing (that) people want to travel, people want to fly, and the airlines are there to provide that possibility,” Hololei said.
