Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) revealed that the Kingdom’s aviation sector is undergoing core changes, especially as it expands its network of international airports.
The GACA pointed out to seven domestic airports being turned international, bringing the number of international airports in the Kingdom up to 13. A few years ago, the Kingdom only had three international airports.
This upgrade has contributed to an overall 5 percent increase in revenues.
In light of the growing importance of the airport industry, Saudi Arabia sees the civil aviation sector as a leading economic contributor that directly influences GDP.
According to the GACA, the aviation sector in the Kingdom saw an overall increase in revenues, which included subsidiaries, during 2018. Revenues amounted to more than SR8.8 billion ($2.3 billion), an increase of approximately 5 percent when compared to 2017.
Official data showed that 2018 saw an 8 percent jump in the number of passengers and flight traffic across the Kingdom’s airports.
The number of passengers in 2018 exceeded 99.86 million, while the number of flights at Saudi airports reached 771,800, an increase of 4.1 percent compared to 2017.
The GACA aims to develop and improve services provided to passengers at the Kingdom's airports.
In a comprehensive report, the GACA showed that the satisfaction rate of passengers with the quality of services provided at airports in 2018 was at 70 percent.
The number of applicants surveyed by the report reached more than 8 million passengers.
