JEDDAH — The President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, chaired the 16th meeting of the Steering Committee for Activating the National Strategy for the Aviation Sector on Thursday in Jeddah. Al-Duailej said: "The operational performance of the civil aviation sector in Saudi Arabia has continued its successes over the past period, with actual progress achieved in serving beneficiaries and travelers, in addition to the success of the Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr seasons, which were completed with high efficiency. The sector continued its progress, recording an increase in the number of travelers during the 1Q of 2025, reaching 34.9 million travelers, an increase of 8.4% compared to the first quarter of 2024. Saudi Arabia's airports recorded more than 6.8 million local and international travelers during the month of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which reflects the operational integration between government and private entities. The meeting touched on the achievements of the aviation sector in the Kingdom, including the four main airports in Saudi Arabia obtaining advanced positions in the Skytrax 2025 classification program in various categories, and 22 airports in the Second Airports Group Company obtaining the carbon accreditation certificate, achieving first place in the Middle East and second place in Asia in the number of carbon-certified airports. In addition to Saudia Group topping the list of global airlines in punctuality for March, according to the Cirium report, Riyadh Aviation obtained the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to begin operating regular flights to and from Saudi Arabia's airports later this year, the arrival of the first batch of sustainable aviation fuel to the Red Sea Airport, and Fly Red Sea will operate its flights using low-carbon fuel, and the launch of the electronic gate service. Continuing the sector's achievements, the e-gates service was launched last March, including at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. In addition, the General Authority of Civil Aviation launched the integrated digital platform "Ajwaa", with the aim of keeping pace with the major transformation witnessed by the Saudi aviation sector and the vital role it plays in supporting economic growth in Saudi Arabia. GACA has granted Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) an economic license to provide ground handling services. The license aims to enhance the level of services provided to passengers as part of GACA's expansion plan at Saudi Arabia's airports, which will include Taif International Airport, Abha International Airport, Hail International Airport, Al-Jouf International Airport, Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport, and King Abdullah International Airport.
