Boeing, the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (NIDLP), Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company (Dussur), and the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden), signed a Memorandum of Understanding last Monday that will further the development of the aerospace industry of Saudi Arabia. "Boeing congratulates NIDLP, Ma'aden and Dussur for this exciting new partnership that will support the Kingdom's goal to become a leader in aerospace grade aluminum manufacturing. We are keen to support the development of the Kingdom's domestic aerospace-related industries which Vision 2030 has accelerated," said Eng. Ahmad Jazzar, President, Boeing Saudi Arabia. The partnership will facilitate the further development of the Kingdom's aerospace industry and infrastructure, including the production of aluminum products to the material specifications of Boeing and the broader industry. With this new capability, Ma'aden will be positioned to enter the high grade aluminum market around the world; further developing a domestic aerospace ecosystem that is poised to grow exponentially under Vision 2030. Boeing's partnership with Saudi Arabia's aviation industry began in 1945 with the delivery of a DC-3 aircraft that gave birth to commercial air travel in the kingdom. This event marked both the beginning of the Boeing relationship with Saudi Arabia and the birth of commercial air travel in the Kingdom. Since then, Boeing has developed and expanded relationships with the Saudi civilian and defense sectors as well as with the private sector. Established in 1997 to develop Saudi Arabia's minerals sector as the third pillar of Saudi industrial development, after oil and petrochemicals, Ma'aden is among the fastest growing mining companies in the world and the largest multi commodity mining and metals company in the Middle East. — SG
